Not the same anymore
by Erigger
Summary: Sequel to "New friends, New boys, New love." Yoh and Anna are married with son Hana. Takeshi's back but he's not the same anymore. Life's changed, too. And, an old evil awakens, putting the Asakura family at risk. A secret's about to be revealed. Read on!
1. Prologue: Dr Himura

_It's been seven years. I can't believe I'm given another chance to meet them again._

_----_

For the record, this fic is a sequel to New Friends, New Boys, New Love. Since you're in this page, I'm under the impression you've already read the original story. So if you still haven't read that, then go and check it out first. But if you're already done with it, then feel free to start with this sequel. Just so you know, I didn't think I'd be publishing another fanfic, being so busy with my original novel. I stumbled upon a video of Shaman King ending them number two, "Omokage" while surfing the Web two nights ago, and it put me in such a nostalgic mood that I suddenly felt the urge to write a sequel to Takeshi's story. So, yeah. On with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. I don't have the intention to, anyway.

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Yoh sluggishly fell forward on his desk and gave a loud sigh. "Aww, man."

Anna, who was sitting right beside him, gave him a sideward glance and said, sounding a bit annoyed, "What now, Yoh?"

"I don't get why we still have to go to university and do stuff like these. We should be working right now!"

A reverberating, ringing sound suddenly filled the classroom. Students began to leave the room, while some just stayed behind. 24-year-olds Yoh and Anna Asakura were among the latter.

Anna rolled his eyes, as if frustrated to have to explain _this_ to him again, over and over.

"Yoh, we both skipped school when Hana was born, remember? We can't go to _work. _We need college degrees to be able to land a job." Anna folded her arms reprovingly. "That's why we're here. To study and get a diploma, and then to get a job to support our son. What part of that don't you understand, Yoh?"

Yoh turned to his side and faced Anna, flashing a rather lopsided grin. "Well, we can always cook some fried noodles and sell them in front of the inn! Why can't we do that?"

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "You don't even know how to cook, Yoh."

"I so can!" Yoh gave a big huff and continued, "I can whip up instant noodles, easy peasy!"

"You said _fried noodles _not _instant noodles. _And besides, people don't waste their money buying instant noodles from the street when they can actually buy a cup in the nearby convenience store and prepare their own."

"But, Anna…" Yoh began to say, obviously trying to justify his suggestion.

"And fried noodles can't support a child," Anna continued, throwing Yoh an icy stare. "Face it, Yoh. All we have left financially is but a small portion of the Asakura fortune left to us. It will run out soon, and we need money to back it up." She subsequently jabbed a finger up front, towards the whiteboard, looking stern. "Now straighten up, face front, man up and take responsibility!"

Yoh groaned. "I hate responsibility…it tires me out…" He lazily gestured up front. "And anyway, Mr. Kaito's still not here yet."

"Who said that? I'm right here."

Like a bolt from the blue, their gray-haired history professor emerged from the door beside the whiteboard, carrying a thick, leather-bound book. He pushed his eyeglasses further up his nose and peered warily at Yoh.

"Watch your manners, Mr. Asakura," he said sharply. "I heard you."

Yoh immediately straightened up and brushed his unkempt bangs away from his face.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Kaito!" he stammered, forcing a half-hearted smile. Yoh gave a sideway glance towards Anna and saw her giving him a cold glare. He straightened up a bit more, also trying to avoid the stares of his classmates. "I mean…I promise it won't happen again."

Mr. Kaito raised a brow at Yoh and said, "Tell that to your new teacher."

"Uh…" Yoh's back slumped slightly, mouth open in wonder. "…what?"

The rest of the class were exchanging glances in wonder as well. _What's he talking about? _Anna turned his attention to the professor, frowning. Then, she raised her hand and asked, "Mr. Kaito? Are you leaving the class?"

Kaito paused, then smiled contentedly. "As a matter of fact, yes, I am."

Anna opened her mouth to press him for more explanation, when Kaito continued, "I'm an old man. My family thinks it prudent and timely for me to retire. I agree. I've contributed so much to the world of history, after all. And I've taught so much. I've no regrets in leaving." He paused before beaming at the class, saying, "Do you agree?"

Nods of agreement, satisfied smiles and shouts of "yes" filled the classroom. Pleased, Mr. Kaito opened the door beside him and stretched out his hand. "Well then, I suppose it would now be right for me to introduce your history professor."

Yoh and Anna craned their necks to see beyond the doorframe, but it was hard to see past it.

"He is a twenty-four-year-old history professor hailed as the brightest mind in the history department of the University of Oxford in England. I was impressed, I must say, the moment I laid eyes on his resume. Doctor of History at such a young age! Imagine that!" Dr. Kaito rubbed his palms together in excitement. "I believe he has just come back from a long journey. He is a bit tired, but is now ready to take my place all the same." He reached his hand out and nodded to this new teacher from inside the room. "You will learn a lot from him…Dr. Himura?"  
At that moment, Yoh and Anna turned to look at each other with a curious look spread across their faces. They were thinking of the same thing, or rather, of the same person.

Anna smirked. "Now that sparks some memories…" she whispered.

The new history professor of Funbari University casually strode inside the room with his hands lightly tucked in his pockets. He was wearing a dark suit, with a red tie hanging comfortably around his neck. A spotless white shirt was evident underneath his polished black blazer. He had jet black hair that was neatly parted to one side, with some loose bangs brushing down on his forehead. He wore black, wire-rimmed eyeglasses that revealed a familiar pair of brown eyes.

Yoh's mouth fell open. His jaw was hanging dumbly, staring at their new teacher in utter disbelief. He could've believe what he was seeing. Likewise for Anna. She looked like she had frozen stiff on her seat, breathless with shock.

This was definitely unprecedented. After seven years, _he _was back.

The man, who looked to be the same age as Yoh and Anna, gave a friendly wave and smiled brightly. He casually took off his eyeglasses and shoved it gently inside his jacket.

Looking back at the class, he said pleasantly, "Nice meeting you all. My name is Dr. Takeshi Himura, and I'm going to be your new history teacher from now until you graduate from this university." He beamed at them cheerfully. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun. Whaddya guys think?"

The 24-year-old teacher was then met with joyous cheers from his students. Some got up and shook hands with him, while some patted him jovially on the back.

That is, except for the Asakura couple.

They were both seated, motionless, eyes shot open and dumbstruck.

Takeshi shifted his gaze and focused it on Yoh first, then Anna.

Then he gave them both a soft wave and grinned.

---

Thanks for reading. My apologies that first chapter's so short--it's just a prologue, after all. So what do you think? Was that okay? Lemme in on your thoughts. Review. Please and thank you. ^_^


	2. Chapter 1: Anna's Pain

Chapter 1 is up! Let the fun begin!

Disclaimer: I don't own SK. [How many times to I have to repeat this, seriously?]

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The bell rang.

Class today was officially over.

Dr. Takeshi Himura shifted to the front of the desk and announced, as people began to stand up and gather their bags, "On Monday, we start with the Edo Period! Don't forget to go over Chapter 24!" Takeshi raised his hand and said over the noise, "Pop quiz tomorrow; don't forget!"

It wasn't long before the students left the classroom. Within minutes, the room was empty…that is, except for Yoh, Anna and Takeshi.

Takeshi was fixing his books on his new desk, setting them on top of the other. Just as Anna laid one hand on top of one of Takeshi's books, the man took off his eyeglasses and tiredly set them on the table. Then he looked up at the both of them and smiled.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, beaming. "You two look like you're in pretty good shape! How's life?"

Neither of them answered. They just stared long and hard at Takeshi, unable to think of what to say to him, after his seven long years of absence.

Takeshi's smile faltered.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked, confused.

Yoh hesitated at first before eventually saying, "Sir, we…"

"Sir?" Takeshi interrupted, his tone dull and monotonous. He laughed. "Drop the formalities, Yoh. You make it sound like I'm forty. And besides, the two of us are practically brothers."

"You're my teacher. _Our_ teacher," Yoh said, gesturing towards his wife.

"That's different. This is my job; this is all work. After class hours, that teacher-student whatnot means nothing to me."

Anna folded her arms, cocking a brow. "You were our teacher seven years ago. Don't tell me you forgot about that."

"Whoa, whoa." Takeshi raised both his palms up in defense. "Don't look at me like that, Anna. Of course I didn't forget." He paused. "But that's past. I'm sure you've both surpassed me greatly. I'm no longer a match for the likes of you shamans, so there's absolutely no need to call me Teacher anymore. I have nothing more to teach other than history, which you need to master in order to get a college diploma and land a job."

"That's ridiculous," Yoh remarked indignantly. "We can never surpass your God-awesome Saiyan strengths. You, of all people, should know that."

Takeshi held his breath, and averted his gaze, giving a momentary sigh. "Yoh, about tha—"

"Yoh's right," Anna interrupted coldly. "Don't you dare look down on yourself. You know you're so much more than that."

Takeshi swallowed. _I'm not sure if I should tell them now… _He nervously bit his lip. _Maybe later. Maybe…_ Forcing back a smile on his face, Takeshi let out a hearty chuckle and said, "Gee, thanks, guys."

"So what are you doing here?" Anna suddenly asked, obviously not wanting to beat around the bush anymore.

"What, am I not allowed to come and see my friends here every once in a while?" Takeshi asked innocently, a trace of mock unhappiness evident in his voice.

_"Every once in a while?_" Anna repeated, incredulous. "You've been gone for seven years! You call that _every once in a while_?"

"We thought you were gone for good," Yoh said somberly. "You said you had to go home…wherever that home is."

Takeshi shrugged innocently, smiling lightly. "Well, I did come to teach history in Funbari University…and I also came here to see how my good buddies are doing."

Anna shot him a burning glare. "We know it's something more than that."

Takeshi stopped, flabbergasted. Then, he smirked, raising a palm up in surrender. "Fine, I'll come clean."

"Cool." Yoh leaned forward excitedly. "So why'd you come back?"

Takeshi casually locked gazes with Yoh and bluntly said, "I don't know."

Yoh blinked. "What?"

"What do you mean you _don't know_?!" Anna demanded, her voice rising to a shout.

Takeshi gave a loud sigh, as if exasperated. "Look. I don't know, okay? I don't know why I'm here. I didn't think I'd be back either."

"What is this, some kind of a joke?" Anna remarked in disbelief. "You came here and you don't even know _why_?!"

"Look, Anna, you don't understand," Takeshi argued, trying to justify his words. "I told you guys I came from a distant place—like a parallel universe—an otherworldly dimension. Another world. I told you guys that much before I left seven years ago."

"And…?" Yoh said, jaw hanging slightly.

"That time—and now—I didn't come here because I wanted to. I came here because I was literally pulled from my own world and was forcefully shoved into this new world I'm not a part of. But whenever that happens, that only means I've got something I need to do here—or wherever it is I'm being put into. Suddenly being placed here means I'm needed…in one way or another."

Anna held her breath, piecing everything together. "So that means…?"

Takeshi nodded. "That means, seven years ago, I was here because there were two things I needed to accomplish: one, to help me conquer my self-proclaimed fears and anxieties, and two, ultimately, to help the two of you understand how much you truly mean to each other and help you get together."

"Wow, cool!" Yoh exclaimed excitedly. "So you were like…our Cupid?"

"Don't be stupid, Yoh, that's preposterous," Anna snapped at his husband, before looking back at Takeshi and saying, "You can't be serious."

Takeshi, for the first time in a long time, threw Anna an icy stare and said, "I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this, Anna. What's so hard to believe? You found it incredibly easy to believe my Saiyan, spirit-demon and Duel Monsters abilities. I think those things are even more unbelievable than this one, and you soaked 'em all up quick and easy, like a wet sponge." Takeshi narrowed his eyes soberly. "What I said is the truth. I don't know why I'm here, and I took a job to support myself while I'm trying to figure out my purpose for being sent here. If you won't believe that, then that's entirely your problem."

Anna didn't know what to say back. She had no counter-attack, which was new. Yoh looked back and forth from Anna to Takeshi then suddenly burst out laughing. "Man, Anna! Takeshi sure got you owned!"

Anna gritted her teeth and smacked Yoh hard against the side of the head. "Shut up, Yoh."

She then took a deep breath, and reluctantly looked at Takeshi. The man blinked. _Was that guilt I saw in her eyes? _Anna quietly said, "I'm sorry I doubted you…I didn't mean to."

Takeshi reared his head, taken aback._ Uh, wow. Okay._ He then grinned boyishly, nodding. "Sure, apology accepted."

Takeshi gathered his books and neatly placed them inside his suitcase. Then, the trio exited the classroom, closing the wooden door with a soft click.

Yoh looked up at the overhead clock in the hallway. He then looked back at Takeshi and said, "Hey! How's about you drop over to the inn and we can do some quick sparring?"

Takeshi swallowed._ Not this again. _"Uh, sparring?"

Yoh nodded eagerly, like he had just lost 10 years of age. It was like he was fourteen all over again. "Yeah! It's been a long time since I got to fight someone as strong as you! I kinda miss all the action and the excitement!"

"Yoh, I…" Takeshi hesitated. "Yoh, I don't spar…anymore."

Yoh laughed, brushing off what Takeshi had just said. "Funny, funny. Haven't laughed that hard in ages!" Takeshi sweat-dropped._ I think he's serious._ "You always had a thing for jokes, Teacher!"

Before Takeshi could respond back, Yoh suddenly yelped, making Takeshi jump in surprise.

"Yoh, you look like you're going out of your mind," Anna commented flatly. She rolled her eyes. "Stop that."

"Anna, I'm so sorry!" Yoh said, falling to his knees in front of Anna. Anna stared at him, bewildered. What is he doing? "I forgot to tell you! Tamao just signed a record label yesterday and she's off in a conference in Kyoto with her agent, so I was supposed to pick Hana up from school!"

Anna narrowed her eyes. "And when do Hana's classes end?"

Yoh gulped. "Uh…thirty minutes ago?"

"Yoh, you idiot," Anna said coldly. "You know Hana doesn't like being alone for too long; he gets scared, loses his temper and starts smashing things." Takeshi turned away, hiding an amused smirk. _Yeah, just like you, Anna._

"I know, I know," Yoh said apologetically. "I'll go pick him up now. I'll just meet you guys back at the inn." He hurriedly turned to Takeshi. "Hey, man, can you please do me a favor?"

"Like what?"

"Can you please take Anna home for me? It's going to be a long walk to Hana's school and to the inn, and I don't want her to get too tired. Please, Takeshi?" Yoh made the puppy-dog-eyes face and pleaded silently.

Takeshi smirked sarcastically. "Oh, how sweet." He lightened up and grinned. "Alright then. I'll do that."

Yoh hastily stood up, shaking Takeshi's hand happily. "Oh, thanks a million, Takeshi! I owe you one!"

"Sure." Takeshi paused. "Uh, Yoh…who's Hana?"

"My son," Yoh said proudly. He suddenly felt a nudge against his ribs. He let out a soundless "ow" and added, smiling weakly, "I meant…_our _son."

Something stirred in Takeshi's memory. _I think I may have heard of the little tyke. The blond little guy with a murderous left kick? _"Ah, right. Congratulations on the kid." He smiled.

Yoh quickly strapped on his backpack and said, "Thanks, man. I'll introduce you to him later; you'll love him, he's the greatest." He checked the clock again. "Aw, crap. It's getting late! I better get going!" He immediately bent down and gave Anna a quick peck on the cheek. Takeshi felt a small pang in his chest. It disappeared as quickly as it came. _Now where did that come from?_

Anna smiled and nodded, meeting Yoh's gaze. Takeshi felt another pang of jealousy. It was small, but nevertheless, it was there. It was something he hadn't felt in years. Takeshi inwardly cursed himself. _Damn it. I guess old habits—or feelings—die hard._

And Yoh was gone. He sped off like a speeding bullet.

Takeshi looked at Anna and flashed a friendly grin. "So, I guess it's just you and me then."

"No funny business, Takeshi," Anna quickly said, glaring at him. "Or I'll fry you alive."

Takeshi frowned, offended. "What do you take me for? Some kind of a slimy pervert?"

"No…that's not what I meant…" Anna said slowly. _I didn't mean to say that._

"Good." Takeshi beamed at her, offering his arm in a somewhat dashing manner. "Now shall we take off? You've got a family waiting for you at home."

Anna stared at Takeshi's arm, taken aback. She felt her cheeks heat up. She looked away, hoping Takeshi didn't notice. _There's something quite different about him that I can't place… Something's changed…but what? He does look different, but he's still the same person…right?_

Takeshi didn't manage to catch Anna blushing. Shame. When Anna looked back at him, her indifferent expression was back on fire. She slowly took Takeshi's arm and off they went.

Once they had left the university grounds, Takeshi then looked up at Anna and smiled. "You look great."

Anna's eyes widened slightly. _What?_ She looked like she was fighting the urge to tear her gaze away from Takeshi's eyes. But it was hard not to look at them; something about them seemed more captivating than it should be.

"What do you mean?" she said slowly…cautiously.

Takeshi smirked, amused. "You don't know? Weird… Doesn't Yoh ever tell you that?" He grinned knowingly. "It means you're beautiful."  
A deep blush quickly spread across Anna's face. Strangely, she looked down to the ground, avoiding Takeshi's gaze.

"Hey, you're blushing," came Takeshi's amused comment. "Now that's something you don't see everyday."

Anna swallowed again and boldly locked gazes with Takeshi. "Takeshi…I'm married."

Takeshi cocked his head to one side, still smiling. "Yeah, I know." Anna didn't answer, so Takeshi added, "So?"

"You can't…_flirt_ with me anymore," Anna said, the coldness in her voice returning. "I have a son, a husband…a family. It's not the same anymore, Takeshi."

"I'm not flirting with you," Takeshi replied back heatedly. He scratched his head, frustrated. Sure, he found Anna as gorgeous as ever, but he knew that attraction he used to have for her had dissipated already. At least he thought so. Besides, he had his own fair share of young love during the past seven years, after all. "I'm just paying you a sincere compliment," he said.

The itako grew quiet. Takeshi didn't feel so comfortable with that silence.

"Anna."

Anna didn't meet his gaze. Takeshi frowned. _What's up with her?_

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, bending down to peer at the girl's face. Before he could get the chance, he found himself getting slapped on the face with Anna's Legendary Left.

Takeshi yelped and staggered back in pain. He winced. "Uh…that still hurts…" He pulled back his hand to reveal a reddish lump on his cheek, quickly blackening into a bruise. He winced. "Ugh…it's even worse than last time…"

Anna immediately looked up and hurriedly touched his bruised cheek, concerned. Takeshi winced painfully.

"That looks terrible," she commented, shocked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Takeshi shot back glumly.

Anna stared at Takeshi in disbelief. "What happened to you, Takeshi?"

Takeshi cocked a brow at her in wonder. "What happened? You hit me."

"No, I mean…" Anna jerked her head to one side, sizing Takeshi from top to bottom. _He wasn't like this before. Sure he'd say it hurts, but he never gained some sort of injury from it. Not once. _"You've grown…weak. Haven't you been training?"

"Training…?"

Anna folded her arms, not responding. She was waiting for Takeshi to answer and explain.

"No, of course not." Takeshi sighed, this time looking away from Anna. "There's no need to."

"You're a Saiyan!" Anna cried. "How can you neglect your training just like that?"

"I'm not a Saiyan," Takeshi blurted out indignantly. "I'm just a normal twenty-four-year-old, living my life."

Anna was knocked back in shock. She couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

Takeshi bit his lip. This was it. It was time for the truth to be made known.

"Anna, I have to tell you something…"

_Man, this is hard. _This was the second time he had to say this to his old "childhood" characters. The first one had been Goku. It hadn't been easy. This one with Anna, he was sure, would be twice as difficult. This was Anna they were talking about, after all.

"I'm not who I used to be," Takeshi said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked, dread creeping into her voice.

"It's as you said. It's different now. I'm not a Saiyan…at least, not anymore. I'm not a spirit-demon…or a duelist either. There's nothing special about me anymore…special…like you guys are."

"You lost your powers?" Anna said in shock. "Why…how?"

"Maybe for you I did…but in truth, I didn't. I've never had them in the first place…they were all creations of my very vivid imagination."

"I don't understand…" Actually, Anna was starting to get it, but a part of her was trying to deny the truth set before her.

"All that…they were all…nothing," Takeshi said, his voice cracking. "I was an imaginative kid…too imaginative, in fact…that I foolishly allowed my mind to wander and to build worlds and identities I wanted to have but never had."

Anna was speechless. Takeshi paused, then continued.

"My name is Takeshi Himura, a Japanese-American who was born and grew up in Shibuya to normal human parents, the same as everybody else. I'm human. I'm not extraordinary. At all. And I'm not a warrior, Anna. I'm a history teacher. A dedicated scholar. And a writer. And that's all I'll ever be, I'm sorry."

Anna took a step back and almost fell to the ground, if Takeshi wasn't there to catch her. He straightened her up and held her hand gently.

"There's nothing wrong," he whispered. "I just grew up, that's all. Don't worry; you're not the only one who felt this way when I told people the same thing." He chuckled. "Goku had a field day when I told him I'm not a Saiyan anymore."

Anna couldn't find her voice. She was much too shocked to say anything. What she did instead was to translate all her bottled emotions into tears.

At first, Takeshi didn't notice the tears streaming down the itako's face. Her face was hidden by her long blond locks of hair. But then he heard sobbing. He couldn't believe his ears.

"Anna?"

She had stopped on her tracks. Takeshi doubled back and gently held her shoulders, trying to look at her face. "Anna, are you oka—"

Takeshi's eyes widened upon seeing the usually indifferent girl crying uncontrollably. _This can't be happening._ "Anna…you…you're…crying?" He swallowed. "Why?"

"Takeshi, you doofus," Anna said between angry and painful sobs. "Are you really _that _naïve? I'm crying because of you! Because you've changed. You're different. You're not the same person I knew and _loved_ seven years ago."

_Loved. _There it was, a word he'd been wanting to hear when he was seventeen, and he didn't even notice she had just said it. But did she even mean it in the way Takeshi wanted?

Takeshi was shaking. "What?"

Anna turned away from him, still crying. "You're just _not the same anymore_!"

---

Cliffhanger, huh? Yeah, I'm that evil. :)) Kidding. Kidding.

So how was that? I didn't even need to wait for reviews to start writing the second chapter--or the first one, since chapter one was a prologue. Would ya lookit that. ^_^ Any thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Anything? Don't forget to review, but no flaming, 'kay? Be constructive. Thanks. :)


	3. Chapter 2: Forbidden Love

How's Takeshi gonna fix this one? Read on!

Disclaimer: I don't own SK and also (I forget to mention in the last two chapters) DBZ, YYH and Yu-Gi-Oh!. There. I'm not gonna repeat that again.

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He didn't know how to respond to such a statement. Takeshi felt his heart sink. "…what?"

"You heard me!" Anna cried, locking gazes with Takeshi. Her eyes were on fire. "This is not you anymore—this is a different Takeshi I'm looking at!"

"Whoa, whoa, Anna," Takeshi said in a hurried tone, clasping both his hands around Anna's wrists. He gently pulled them down. "Don't you think you're overreacting quite a bit?"

A second later, Takeshi realized such a question wasn't quite the right thing to say as of the moment. Takeshi didn't know what was worse: Anna crying so hard or Anna getting even angrier every second that passed.

"Overreacting?! Takeshi, I—"

"Hey, hey, look!" Takeshi said desperately, raising his voice. "You shouldn't get so worked up about this!" He took both Anna's slender hands and pressed them against his chest. Anna's crying dampened a bit, her ears unconsciously going red. "Look, it's still me! I'm still the same person! I just don't have the same powers—the same _cool _powers you thought I had!"

"Takeshi, you don't understand—"

"No, Anna, I understand perfectly! You're just not used to me not having—"

"Takeshi, it hurts me to see this _new _you!"

Takeshi stopped. _She's…hurt? _He gaped at her, bewildered. _Am I missing something here?_

Noticing her chance to finally speak up without being interrupted, Anna continued, "You're not the same guy I've known…the same guy I've respected…and the same guy I _loved_."

It was the second time that word was uttered. And now, Takeshi heard it, plain and clear. He suddenly felt his heartbeat skip a beat, then speed up. "You…_what_?"

"What?!" Anna retorted back, angry tears flowing down her cheeks.

"You said…you said…" Takeshi couldn't say the words. It felt like he was telling a lie. It even felt so heavy just trying to process what it meant. Takeshi swallowed. "Since when have you ever loved me?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Can the truth be more obvious? _Since seven years ago_."

Takeshi refused to believe her. He slowly shook his head. _You can't be serious._ "Not once you've told me you loved me. I've never even heard those words from you, from the moment I asked you to the prom, to the night I saved your life, to the actual prom day…until the day I left."

"Takeshi, don't be naïve," Anna shot back. "Just because I never said it even once, doesn't mean I've never felt something for you."

Still, Takeshi denied the "truth."

"You're lying," was all he said.

Those two words felt like a stab to Anna's chest and it hurt. _Why wouldn't he believe me? Seven years ago, he was so intent on making me fall for him, but why is he refusing me now?_

Anna's sobs exemplified and she cried even harder. Takeshi felt horrible. _What now?_

"Anna."

The itako turned away, refusing to meet his gaze. "Get away from me."

Takeshi tried to sound more soothing, instead of desperate, which he was. He gently took Anna's arms and pulled her to him, slowly, but still keeping considerable distance.

"Anna."

No answer. Just sobbing. _So this is how the ice queen's like when she's hurt…and crying. Better keep that in mind._

"Anna, please stop crying."

Still no response.

"Look—I don't like seeing you like this," Takeshi said truthfully. He took a deep breath, squeezing Anna's hand a little tighter. "Please stop."

He heard Anna's sobbing cease. Slowly…but surely. Takeshi smiled.

"Hey, let me make up for this," Takeshi said, shaking Anna gently. "I'll buy you a smoothie. How does that sound?"

Anna sniffed. She looked up at Takeshi. She still wasn't smiling. "What's a smoothie?"

Takeshi sweat-dropped. "You don't know what a smoothie is?" he exclaimed incredulously. "Where have you been living all this time—under a rock?"

Anna glared at him. "_No_, inside an inn."

"Doesn't Yoh drink smoothies?" Takeshi asked, with a cocked eyebrow. "That guy practically lives on anything—he should know."

"I don't know," Anna snapped at him coldly. "What's it you if I don't know what a smoothie is? You got a problem with that?"

Takeshi flashed a goofy smile. "No, it's just that…it's kind of weird." He stretched out his right arm and looked at his watch. "We still have time to stop by for some smoothies. Let's just make this quick. There's one nearby that sells good smoothies—I want you to have one. My treat."

Anna opened his mouth to protest, but Takeshi raised a palm, grinning broadly. "Trust me. It'll make you feel better. And you'll love it."

Defeated, Anna sighed, a little annoyed and said, "Fine."

Minutes later, they were inside a small café, drinking smoothies. Anna had calmed down and was quietly sipping her smoothie, while looking out the window wistfully.

Takeshi had a look of triumph on his face. He chuckled. "See, told you it's good stuff."

Anna didn't look at him. "I suppose," she said nonchalantly.

Takeshi raised a brow in wonder. _Looks like something's bugging her. Wonder what that is._

Anna was, of course, thinking about what she had just told Takeshi minutes ago. She couldn't believe she had just said that she…loved him. _But that was seven years ago. Things should've changed._

"Anna?"

"Hmm?"

"There's something I want to ask you."

Like Anna, there was also something bugging Takeshi. Something Anna said that he couldn't understand and comprehend very well.

"What is it?"

"It's about…what we talked about a while ago."

Anna suddenly felt a lump form in her throat. She slowly…anxiously…looked back at Takeshi, reluctantly looking into his eyes.

"I still don't get why you're so…worked up about me not being so _special _anymore." Takeshi gave Anna a friendly smile. "I mean…I haven't changed much. I'm still the same guy, just no special powers."

"I told you," Anna said, trying not to go hysterical all over again. "You're not the same guy I've grown to love."

_Love. _There it was again. Takeshi swallowed before saying with a hearty chuckle, "You've grown to love…as a _brother_?"

"No, Takeshi, it's not that—"

"As a _teacher_?"

"No—"

"As a friend?" Takeshi said hopefully.

"No, _no_," Anna said loudly. "It's not any of that. It's _more _than any of that."

Takeshi knew what she meant, but still he refused to accept it. He looked away. "No…you don't."

"I don't what?" Anna asked, confused.

"You don't love me," Takeshi said flatly. "Don't say things you don't really feel."

"I'm telling the truth!" Anna said indignantly. "I do _love _you! Since _seven years ago_!"

Takeshi fell silent. He cleared his throat and said quietly, "Well…you can't love me."

Anna glowered at him. "Wha—you can't tell me what I can't and can do!"

"Yes, I _can_." Takeshi looked back at Anna with intensity in his eyes. "Anna, you said it yourself. Things have changed. And it's not only my powers. Your life is different now, too."

Anna fell silent. _Yoh… Hana…_ She knew what Takeshi was driving at.

"You have a family," Takeshi continued. "You have a husband who's so devoted to you, who loves you to death…to whom you've pledged to remain loyal to. You've borne a son who needs you both for him to be able to live his life properly."

"I know that," Anna said quietly.

"_Yes_, that's why you can _never _love me," Takeshi said soberly. "I don't want anything to destroy a happy family. I want you to be happy."

"Loving you can't destroy our family," Anna argued back.

Takeshi shot her a piercing stare. "Yes, it can. You ever heard of _infidelity_?"

Anna felt her heart grow heavy. "I—"

"You have, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Takeshi continued. "Tell me and tell it to me honestly—do you love Yoh Asakura?"

Without thinking twice, Anna said almost angrily, "What kind of question is that? Of course I do! He's my husband!"

"But you say you love me, too," Takeshi said coldly. "You can't love two guys at the same time. You can't fall for two of them at the same time. It's unethical."

Anna fell silent again. She looked to be deliberating on what to say.

"Promise me, Anna." Takeshi looked deep into her eyes. "Promise me you'll stay true to your family…to Yoh."

There was a long silence. Finally, she said, "You say my feelings are unethical. What about you losing your powers?"

Takeshi glared at Anna. Anna, surprisingly, recoiled. "Don't try to change the topic, Anna. The absence of my powers has nothing to do with what we're talking about now."

But Anna wasn't about to back down. Not this ice queen. Never.

"It has everything to do with it!" she cried. "That's what we were talking about in the first place! You're the one steering this conversation the other way!"

Takeshi suddenly felt hurt creep into him. Something just didn't seem right…

"What does loving me got to do with me not having my old powers?" he said, sullen and a little hurt. "Are you saying that the reason you loved me is because of my powers?"

Anna felt a twinge of pain echoing in Takeshi's voice. She tried to make damage control.

"No, I didn't mean it like that…!"

"But that's what it all sounds like to me!" Takeshi's breathing grew swallow. "If you loved me for who I am, and not because I was physically powerful and can destroy planets, you wouldn't be acting this way when I told you I no longer had my powers. It would've been okay, since I'm still the same person, anyway!"

Anna grew quiet. He was right. What was wrong with her? Of course she treasured Takeshi because he's _Takeshi_, not because he was a mighty Saiyan.

"That's not true," Anna said quietly. "I'm not in it for your powers—that's a lie." She paused and stared down uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. You're right—I had been overreacting."

Takeshi blinked twice. _That was…it? _"You…you really mean that?"

Anna nodded. For the first time in so long, she smiled. Takeshi felt butterflies in his stomach, which didn't quite add up.

"Thank you," Takeshi sincerely said, wiping sweat from his brow. "It's good that we finally got this settled."

"But don't forget," Anna warned. "You still have to explain this to Yoh."

Takeshi sighed bitterly. "I know."

"You know he won't like it," Anna reminded him. "You know he looks up to you as a teacher…as a warrior. You being a Saiyan always meant the world to him. It'll break his heart if he finds out about what happened to you. He might even think you had been leading him on--fooling him--all this time."

"This is why I couldn't tell _this _to you while he was still there, listening," Takeshi said despondently. "This is why I couldn't tell him the truth. That I can't spar. That I'm no longer a match for his fighting abilities."

"What are you going do?" Anna said, asking the most obvious question.

"I don't know," Takeshi admitted. "He'll find out sooner or later anyway, but I want him to know through me." He paused. "I don't know how to do this…you'll help me, won't you, Anna?" He looked hopeful.

Anna stopped before nodding. "Yes…I will. But we have to plan this carefully."

Takeshi nodded. "Yoh asked me to spar with him. How can I tell him I can't?"

Anna flashed a cunning grin. "Don't worry; I'll take care of that. That won't be so hard to handle."

Takeshi smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Anna. You don't know how much that means to me." He looked at the clock above their heads. It had been fifteen minutes since they had finished their smoothies and began arguing.

"Uh-oh," Takeshi said. "We have to get our move on, Anna. Yoh might think I kidnapped you all this time and am holding you hostage. Don't want him to worry."

The moment they exited the front door, it began to rain. Hard.

Takeshi heard Anna curse silently under her breath. He immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around the itako's head and shoulders.

Surprised, Anna stared at the man. "Takeshi…!"

"You're welcome." He winked. He put his arm around Anna's shoulders and guided her across the streets. "Now let's go. I don't want us to catch a cold. You've got classes tomorrow and so do I."

As they crossed the intersection to their right and entered a small alleyway, a sharp gunshot was heard. The cars cleverly masked the sound, but since Anna was just beside Takeshi, she heard it quite clearly.

Takeshi suddenly grew heavy. He was suddenly leaning against Anna's body for support.

"Oh, _sh-shit_…" he cursed under his breath.

Bewildered and a little concerned, Anna put her hand on Takeshi's back, trying to help him gain his balance, when she felt something wet on his shirt.

The moonlight shone down on them both and Anna saw what it was. She felt herself go pale.

It was blood.

---

What, another annoying cliffhanger?

Sorry about that; I guess I kind of have a thing for cliffhangers. I think it makes a chapter more intriguing…and leaves readers wanting for more. So there you have it.

Obviously, duh, the history prof's been shot, so since Takeshi's not so special anymore and he can no longer bounce bullets off his skin, then getting shot means big trouble. Not to mention, it's pretty deadly.

On another note, I'm officially continuing this fic, by the way, since it's proving to be very good warm-up practice when I'm having writer's block with my unpublished novel. It kind of liberates my thoughts.

Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review. ;)


	4. Chapter 3: Life in Peril

Thanks for your reviews, guys. I'm glad you like the sequel; I was worried the "infidelity" thing would turn you guys off (especially YohxAnna fans), but no worries. Everything will work out right in the end. You know what kind of guy Takeshi is; upright and moral. He'll make it all right, don't worry. There's a reason why the genre to this fic isn't romance, but friendship. It's talking about the relationship between Takeshi and Anna, and partly the friendship between Yoh and Takeshi.

It'll make sense once the whole fic is over. ;)

P.S. I changed the genre of this fic from Friendship/Humor to Friendship/Drama. I think that's more appropriate. Also, I was listening to Megumi Hayashibara's **"Omokage"** (the second ending theme of Shaman King) while writing this chapter and while rereading it. It felt nice. So I suggest you do that, too.

---

"No…!" Anna tried to gently pull Takeshi's body up, but his weight was making it a little harder to do so. "Takeshi…!" Her voice was strained, cracking…as if trying hard not to panic. "Takeshi! Are you okay?"

There was no response. Anna panicked inwardly. _He's been shot—is he dead?!_

A few seconds later, there was a small chuckle and a loud cough from Takeshi—blood spurted to the ground before him. "W-What's it look like to you?" he joked.

_Why's he joking around—at a time like this?!_

"Shut up, Takeshi!" she said reprovingly. "Stop talking—it'll make you worse!"

Anna summoned all her strength and heaved Takeshi's arms up. She quickly looked around, scanning their surroundings with caution…and fear. "Who's there?!" she cried.

Nobody answered. Anna felt a bad feeling down the pit of her stomach. _Something's not right here…_

Takeshi felt likewise. He didn't know who was behind this; after all, he had just arrived—it was near-impossible for anyone to have a grudge against him. It could've been Hao, since he had humiliated the guy seven years ago, but frankly, shooting people with man-made guns and bullets isn't exactly his style. Now if he had achieved third-degree burns, then that would've been more understandable—that was definitely Hao.

But this was different. There was something human about the ambush—at the same time, there was something weird about it, too.

Takeshi felt dizzy. It was hard to think straight, with his lung probably failing and him losing blood with every second that passed. But amidst all that, he knew what he had to do.

He had to get Anna out of there.

"A-Anna…" he said, his voice trembling.

The itako immediately turned her attention to him, worry evident on her face. "Don't talk!"

Takeshi ignored her small admonishment. "Anna…you…you have to get out of here."

"No, _we _have to get out of here," Anna sharply corrected him. "Now let's go—"

"No, _I _have to stay here and hold this guy off," Takeshi said, trying to sound more urgent. "We can't outrun him; you might get hurt."

"Wha…what guy? I don't see anyone else here but us!"

Takeshi coughed. _Dammit. _"I know you're not stupid, Anna. We were ambushed. You know there's someone right here with us, who won't rest until one of us is dead for sure."

Anna was about to answer back with an angry retort, saying she's going to save them both, when all of a sudden, a mysterious, raspy voice called out, echoing in the shadows, "I see you're still alive."

Anna shivered. "Who…me?" she found herself unconsciously asking their assailant.

There was a small, evil chuckle. "Not you. Him."

Anna immediately darted her head towards the heaving Takeshi. She felt her blood run cold.

Suddenly, they saw a muzzle of a gun emerging from the shadows. Takeshi's instincts flashed the loud, warning signal. Ignoring the burning pain the first gunshot had caused, he stretched out his arms and, the same, exact moment the gun went off, Takeshi pushed Anna forward, opposite his direction. The force was enough to push both of them towards opposite directions, hitting the walls behind them. The impact to Takeshi's back made him cry out in pain. His eyes shot open; his breathing grew shallow.

The bullet hit a wall, forming a small hole. It had flattened by the sudden impact.

Horror-struck, Takeshi shouted, "Anna! You have to leave—_now_!"

Still Anna remained steadfast to what she believed was right. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Don't be stupid! You'll just get hurt! I'll hold him off!"

"Look who's talking!" Anna screamed back angrily. "You're the one acting stupid here! You said it yourself—you don't have your powers anymore! How do you intend to take this guy on?! You'll just get yourself killed!"

Takeshi fell silent. _Urgh…! _He forgot about that.

"Unless you had been lying to me all this time!" Anna added, quietly wishing that was true.

"No," he said quietly, "I wasn't lying…_shit_…"

Anna flinched; he was indeed powerless. He was no different from Manta—human, ordinary…and vulnerable.

"But don't worry!" he yelled. "I'll find a way to hold him off so you can escape!"

Takeshi immediately forced himself to stand up, blocking Anna from the direction of their attacker. A sharp jolt of pain shot through his back and he swayed around side to side, dizzy with pain.

"Takeshi, you're acting like an idiot!" Anna haphazardly got up and tried to pull him back. Takeshi was weak, but he wouldn't budge. "Now take my hand, and let's go!"

"No, he's after you!" Takeshi suddenly found himself shouting back. "He'll follow us and won't stop until he kills you!"

"He's after _me_?!" Anna blurted out in disbelief. "You're the one he shot! And haven't you been listening?! He said he was after you!"

The stunning truth almost knocked Takeshi down to his knees. _She's right…crap. Crap. Crap._

"He…he can outrun us…he'll catch us…" Takeshi whispered.

"Maybe," Anna said with conviction. "But I can save us both! When we defeated Hao years ago, I used the GoumaChoubuku to gain control over his shikigamis, Zenki and Kouki. They're now my guardian spirits, and I can call for them to take this guy down!"

"Don't…!" Takeshi coughed. He glared at Anna. "You said it yourself; this guy is after me. Stay out of my fight!"

There came another chuckle. The same, evil chuckle from minutes before. Suddenly, a cloaked, ghoulish figure emerged from the shadows, holding a gun and pointing it at Takeshi. They couldn't see the guy's face; it was completely hidden beneath his hood.

"He's right, _itako_…" the man said in a raspy voice. "Stay out of his fight."

Anna narrowed her eyes. _He knows I'm a medium? _"Who are you?!" she demanded. "Tell me who you are and what you want with Takeshi!"

The voice became icy cold. "I am not entitled to answer your questions." He turned to Takeshi and sneered, "I thought a single bullet would've been sufficient to kill you; after all, you no longer have your powers. I realize I was wrong."

"It takes more than one stupid bullet to—" Takeshi began to say, when to both Anna and Takeshi's horror, the cloaked man fired his gun once again…and the bullet hit the right side of Takeshi's abdomen.

"A…ah…" Takeshi was trembling violently. "_Sh-shi_…" Blood flowed from one side of Takeshi's mouth. His clothes were quickly getting soaked up in the enormous amount of blood he was losing.

"**No!**" Anna screamed. Her eyes suddenly began to well up.

Takeshi, although gravely and fatally wounded, shouted at Anna, "Quick, Anna! Leave, now! I…_ugh_…I'll take care of him!"

"You're not a _hero_, Takeshi!" she shouted back, on the verge of tears. "So stop trying so hard to act like one! Because things have changed! This time, I don't need a hero--it's you who needs one! So let _me_ take care of this!"

She darted his gaze to Takeshi's attacker and cursed him. "You—!" She was about to call for her guardian spirits, when three more consecutive gunshots rang out. Two hit Takeshi smack in the stomach, while the other one missed and hit a wall, falling on top of a trash bin with a loud _clang_.

Takeshi's eyes dimmed and his face lost color. "D-Damn…it…" He fell to his knees. His mouth was half-open. Takeshi had never felt so helpless…so weak…his whole life. _No way…this can't…this can't end like this…_

He collapsed to the ground, on a pool of his own blood.

Anna felt as if her insides had just disappeared. _No…this can't be happening…_ Suddenly, her insides had come back and was replaced by inconceivable rage and anger. The pain in her heart at what happened to Takeshi grew stronger. She clenched her hands tightly, her fingernails digging deep into her palms. She yearned for revenge. She longed for the death of Takeshi's assailant.

"You…you'll pay for this!" she screamed at the cloaked man. She pulled her beaded spirit necklace, the 1080 beads, over her head and cried, "Zenki! Kouki!"

Her two guardian spirits immediately appeared out of nowhere. "Here!" they said in response.

Anna thrust her necklace towards the cloaked stranger's position. "That man ki…" _Killed. _She faltered; she couldn't say the word. _He…he's not dead… _"He _hurt _my friend! Make him pay for what he's done!"

Zenki and Kouki didn't hesitate. They turned their attention to the cloaked guy and attacked…only to meet…nothing. The man had vanished in a blink of an eye.

Anna shifted her position and desperately looked around. _Where did that bastard go?!_

She felt a sudden presence beside her. She quickly turned and saw the cloaked man crouched down beside Takeshi's fallen body. The man's hand was glowing red. He was clearly doing something to Takeshi, but Anna couldn't see what he was doing.

But she didn't have time to ask. Only time to react and tell her guardian spirits to attack again.

Zenki and Kouki lunged at the man. The man turned to see the two spirits flying towards him, and chuckled. Then he said, "The deed has been done. Takeshi Himura is _dead._" Then he vanished. _Poof_. Just like that.

_No! He escaped! _Anna ran and gazed out the corners of the alleyway, trying to pursue the man. But it was no use; he was gone.

Although furious at being outwitted by the stranger, Anna knew Takeshi's life was now hanging on the line. His life was in grave danger.

Anna ran over to Takeshi and crouched down next to him. She gently flipped him to his back. The guy didn't respond. His eyes were closed and he was _not moving_.

Anna panicked. _No! You can't be…!_

She quickly kneeled down and pushed her ear against Takeshi's chest.

His heart wasn't beating.

Anna felt pure horror sweep through her. _No… _"No!" she cried. "No, you can't die!"

She quickly turned to Zenki and Kouki and screamed, "Call for help, now!"

"Who do we call?" Zenki asked, shaking. "Master Yoh?"

"Ye—" Anna stopped. She hesitated. _Yoh shouldn't know about this_. "No…call for Ryu. Tell him to come here on his motorcycle—tell him our good friend Takeshi is gravely injured and he has to be taken to the hospital! _Go_!"

Calling Ryu wasn't exactly something she'd usually do in case of an emergency, but since she couldn't call for Yoh, Ryu should be the next most reliable person to ask for.

Zenki and Kouki nodded. "We're on it." They vanished…they left.

Anna immediately turned her attention back to Takeshi. _What do I do? What do I do?_ She was literally grasping at straws. _What do I do when someone's heart isn't beating anymore?! _A thought suddenly hit her. _CPR! Yes, that's right! CPR!_

Trying hard not to go into further hysterics, Anna quickly unbuttoned Takeshi's jacket and haphazardly pulled it off of him. She flung his tie to the side and ripped open his shirt. Anna immediately felt her hands and the rest of her becoming covered in blood. But she didn't care.

She winced upon seeing the three gunshots wounds in Takeshi's bare torso. They looked horrible. _She _felt horrible.

Trailing her fingers down Takeshi's chest, Anna positioned her hands on top of Takeshi's heart and began to repeatedly press down as hard as she could. _Please don't die, Takeshi…please…_

She suddenly felt tears trail down her cheeks. She began to sob. She was crying.

_You can't die…_

After what felt like an eternity, Anna felt a heartbeat pulsate beneath her palms. Feeling a miracle in the works, she stopped the CPR and bent down to listen to Takeshi's heart again. _Yes! _His heart was beating! It was weak, it was slow and it was barely there, but nevertheless, _yes, _it was beating.

But Takeshi was still not moving. He still looked the same as when his heart wasn't beating. Anna felt her heart grow heavy. _What now?_

Another thought hit her. _Breathing!_

She placed her palm on top of Takeshi's mouth, grazing his lips slightly.

He wasn't breathing.

Panicking again, Anna feared the worst. _Is his heart still beating?_ She pressed her other palm against Takeshi's chest. _Yes, it's still there. But he isn't breathing, so how do I make him breathe again?_

It didn't take long for her to discover the answer.

_Mouth-to-mouth…_ "…resuscitation," she whispered.

Anna didn't hesitate at all. She knew what had to be done to save her friend's life and yes, she will do it. Anna gently placed one hand on Takeshi's chin, opening his mouth slightly.

Anna took a deep breath. In one swift motion, she leaned forward and down…and brought her lips down to Takeshi's.

She slowly began to breathe air into Takeshi's mouth. Anna pulled away and took another deep breath, leaned down and did the same thing repeatedly.

During her fourth attempt, Anna felt air from Takeshi's lungs breathe out. Joy and relief overwhelmed her. _Yes…! He's…alive!_

Anna felt him stirring lightly, but strangely, she didn't pull away at all. Instead, she gently placed her other hand on Takeshi's cheek and continued "resuscitating" him.

But this time, it wasn't first aid anymore.

Anna was kissing him.

She quietly deepened the kiss, trying to put as much of her feelings into it as she could.

Suddenly, after what seemed like an eternity (but was actually just a few seconds), Anna's eyes shot open. _Oh my god, what am I doing?!_

Anna immediately disengaged from the kiss and backed away in shock. She cautiously touched her lips, speechless and astounded at what she had just done. _I…I kissed Takeshi?_

Takeshi stirred again. Anna's gaze was drawn to his left hand. His fingers were moving.

Anna felt like a miracle had just happened. _He's alive!_

"A-An…" He slowly turned his head, only to see Anna staring at him, with a look of pure joy and relief evident on her face. Takeshi faltered. "Anna?"

Smiling weakly, Anna crawled back next to Takeshi and said in her most soothing voice, "Don't worry, it's going to be okay. You're going to be fine."

Suddenly, a loud honk filled the alleyway. A blinding flash of light enveloped both Takeshi and Anna. Takeshi shut his eyes. Anna raised an arm to block away the light.

"Anyone here called for Ryu?" came a familiar voice.

Anna had never been any happier to see him. "Ryu!"

"Ryu?" Takeshi found himself saying as well. He wanted to sit up to take a look at someone he hadn't see for so long, when he felt indescribable agony envelop him. He couldn't take it anymore. His eyes dimmed and he blacked out.

---

I'm sure some of you (particularly the YohxAnna fans) didn't have a very good reaction to what Anna did. Well, I told you things will work out right in the end, so don't worry. Just follow the story as it goes. Watch what's going to happen next.

Oh and by the way. My apologies if I won't be able to update fast in the next few days (or even weeks!) or so. I've been spending a lot of time with this fic (which is just supposed to be my warm-up session before I add more chapters to my original novel) that I've been neglecting my novel, even forgetting what I'm supposed to write in the next chapter of it. So I'm going to go back to it and spend a little more time with it. When I need to get over writer's block, I'll come back and write for this fic.

But no worries. This fic won't be on a permanent hiatus, I assure you. I'll finish this, I promise. Just be on the "story alert mode" so you'll always know when the next chapter will be up.

So, yeah, that's that.

And please don't forget to review. I would really like to know your thoughts and feelings with regards to this chapter. This one is pretty controversial, as you can see by what had just transpired between Takeshi and Anna, so I want to know what you think.

Just no flaming. Thanks. ;)

**Short Update:**

There's something I forgot to say when I uploaded this chapter. I feel kind of stupid to have overlooked such important details.

I intended this fic to center on the Asakura couple and on a parent-son relationship. So just to clue you in on what's going to happen in later chapters... The TakeshixAnna romantic pairing is short-lived. Takeshi's going to make sure of it himself. That pairing will end sooner that you think, but seriously, that's okay, because I think if friendship is pushed between these two instead of romantic love, it's going to turn out a whole lot better than expected. The Anna OOC-ness will end by Chapter 5, and we'll see more of her "ice queen" side from then on. Also, I absolutely love the Hana and Anna mother-son relationship, and I think there's a lot of room for character and plot development there, so look out for that, too.

Watch out for those. I'm not sure if there are TakeshixAnna shippers here, reading, but Chapter 5 might be quite the big bummer to you guys. I hope not. :p After that chapter, things are going to take a new turn, but you'll love it. Trust me. You will. ^_^


	5. Chapter 4: Busted and Irreparable

I didn't think I'd be updating this quick! I guess my own fic got me all hyped up.

Anyhow, sorry for causing a lot of controversy with the last chapter; but frankly, I like making controversies and stirring commotion, so that's perfectly fine. ^_^

I know, I'm positively insane, but that's okay. xD

On with the new chapter!

***

Takeshi blinked. _Where am I?_

He tried to sit up, but the moment he tried to, he felt sharp, piercing pain stab him in multiple parts of his body. He gasped. _Shi—_ He tried again. _Damn it._ It did hurt.

He looked around silently. His vision was all sorts of blurred, but it cleared up within seconds.

Takeshi was inside a hospital room. The walls were stark white and the room smelled strongly of alcohol—the good kind, of course, the one used for sterilization.

He knew he was gravely injured. After all, why would he be lying in a hospital bed, in pain, with bandages all over and with innumerable tubes stuck to his body?

But, despite that, he also knew he was going to be fine.

Takeshi winced; his head hurt. A little. _What happened last night?_

Like the pain he felt just seconds ago, memories from last night's incident came rushing back. Yoh and Anna, the university, Anna's outbursts, those awesome smoothies, him being shot…and that mysterious cloaked man. _That mysterious, cloaked man…_

Takeshi frowned. _Who was that man? But more importantly, why did he want to kill me so badly? _As far as he knew, the only person in this world who got on in nerves and vice versa was Hao Asakura. He still remembered their fight seven years ago—he was still a Saiyan back then. Takeshi shook his head. He grimaced. _Saiyan, my foot. I must've been a really wild kid all those years ago. Imagine; I made something from my head come true just by believing it is true. Funny._

Hao…did he want Takeshi dead so badly after suffering such a humiliating defeat seven years ago? Takeshi wasn't exactly sure. Did he even know _he _was back? And even if he did, would he making use of man-made guns to kill him? That was never his style. He'd rather die than be seen or _heard _using a gun to take an old rival's life.

But, then again, Hao might've changed after all these years.

He heard it from a friend of his back home: in the new manga of Shaman King, Hana, the Asakura's firstborn, had notorious Hao as some sort of guardian. Maybe that means Hao has definitely gone from bad to totally good?

Takeshi shrugged. _No, this couldn't have been Hao. This has to be the work of somebody else…but who?_

_Who else would—ouch! _Takeshi bit his tongue in pain. _What was that?_

It came from somewhere in his arm. His right arm. Something there hurt, and the pain was undeniably different from the pains caused by gunshots last night.

Takeshi squinted, and tried to look at his arm. It was hard, but he finally managed to see what caused that sudden, prickling pain there.

It was a symbol. A kanji symbol that glowed black, the color of darkness. It said, "Oni."

Takeshi felt his stomach lurch. _Oni. A demon? _When was this symbol branded into him? Takeshi hazarded a guess that it was branded last night, during the ambush. Or maybe after he lost consciousness. Either way, this was, Takeshi was sure, the mark of his assailant.

Why was he branded with this? Did this "Oni" want to be followed? Did this demon even consider the fact that he was still alive and might call the police to hunt him down?

Takeshi shook his head. _No. _The police would be powerless against this guy, if he was a demon. But if he was a demon, why would he resort to guns to kill him? Doesn't the devil have any class…a sense of style? He could've done a more repulsive job—but then again, maybe Takeshi should be grateful that he didn't. At least he was still in one piece.

_Oh yeah. Now that I mention it, how can I still be alive after getting shot multiple times?_ Takeshi frowned, trying to remember more of what happened last night. It was hard; it all seemed like a dream to him. Or a nightmare.

Then he finally remembered Anna.

When he blacked out, what happened after that? Anna did say she was going to "save the both." Maybe she unleashed Zenki and Kouki on the man and killed him? He wasn't sure.

But he was practically dying last night. How did Anna take care of that?

Takeshi's face fell. _CPR…and mouth-to… _He didn't want to finish the term. He knew what it is. He just wondered how Anna managed to make herself do such a thing that involved leaning… _No. _He shook his head. _I shouldn't be thinking like that. But after the way the woman professed her __**love**__ for me, how can I not wonder? _He sighed. _If only she knew the truth… But would she even want to hear it?_ Mentally slapping himself, he thought, _Well, at least I've got to be thankful that she saved me anyway. She saved my life. _

Takeshi suddenly wanted to punch himself in the head for being a total idiot. Why did he have to act so tough at a time like that? He knew he was completely powerless…vulnerable. He knew that something he used to consider as nothing (that being a gunshot) would turn out to be a threat to his life, now that he was nothing but a normal human being and not some insanely powerful warrior.

Maybe he should've let Anna take care of the fight. But then again, she might've gotten hurt if he let her do just that. Anna was Takeshi's good friend; he'd never let anything bad happen to her. That's what friends do, right? Take risks for the other and be around when needed. That's what friends are for.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, meters away from Takeshi's bed.

Takeshi swallowed. "Who's there?"

There was silence at first. Then, finally, a familiar voice said, "It's Anna."

"Oh." Takeshi smiled. _Yeah, a familiar face! _He had been wanting to see any of his friends for a while now; that would be very comforting! "Come on right in!"

The door slowly creaked open. The long-haired blond itako walked in. But, she didn't close the door just yet.

She held it open long enough for husband Yoh Asakura to come in. And then she closed the door.

Takeshi felt his stomach sink. _Yoh?! What's he—oh man. How am I gonna explain this to him?_

Yoh and Anna walked towards Takeshi's bed. Takeshi couldn't see Yoh's face; he had his head bowed down. Anna was looking right at him, looking a little uncomfortable. But, nevertheless, her face was steeled—the way she always looked like.

Takeshi didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was air. He looked at Yoh hopefully, wishing he didn't know the truth about his powers. Not yet anyway. Takeshi felt another horrible feeling inside. _Who am I kidding? If I still had my powers, I wouldn't be in this hospital right now. Of course he knows._

Takeshi looked to Anna in a somewhat pleading manner. _Help me, please, _he begged silently.

"How are you feeling, Takeshi?" Anna suddenly asked, as if she had just read Takeshi's mind. "Any better?"

Takeshi cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah." He forced a smile. "Just peachy." He gave Anna a sincere grin. "Thanks to you, Anna."

Anna nodded, a small smile evident on her face. It disappeared as quickly as it came.

Takeshi cleared his throat again, but louder this time. He turned to look at Yoh._ Maybe I should do something… _"Yoh?"

There was no answer. The guy still had his head bowed down, facing the floor. His long black hair was covering his face; Takeshi inwardly smirked. The guy really did look a lot like Hao, especially with that incredibly long hair. It was a good thing he didn't mistake him for his weird brother.

"Yoh, thanks for being here," Takeshi said, grinning. "It—"

"Why didn't you tell me?" came Yoh's anguished voice.

Takeshi felt his throat go dry. "I…"

"You told Anna," he continued, slowly looking up. His face was full of emotional torment. "You waited until I left before you said the truth. Why would you keep such a thing from me?"

Takeshi's eyes widened. He looked at Anna. _Did she tell him? _Anna just stared back at him stoically, giving Takeshi the mental message, "No. He figured it all out himself."

Takeshi looked back at Yoh. "Yoh, I don't know what you're talking about," Takeshi lied, in a conscious effort to make Yoh think otherwise.

"Don't lie!" Yoh cried, raising his voice furiously. "You already lied to me once, twice—I can't believe you'd try doing it again!" He breathed hard and slow. "I know about what happened to you! I know what happened to your powers!"

Takeshi swallowed. _Maybe it was time to let it all come out. _"And you know why?"

"Yes," Yoh said, voice trembling. Anger quickly returned to his voice. "And I can't believe I found out about it through Anna, instead of from you…my teacher."

_So Anna explained about the whole growing-up-imagining thing to Yoh. _Takeshi didn't curse Anna for telling Yoh about it; maybe that should've been what he did when he first saw them both again after all these years. At least, he would still have Yoh's trust right now.

"I'm sorry," Takeshi said mournfully, trying to sound more sincere. "I didn't think you'd want to hear about it so soon."

"Maybe," Yoh shot back angrily. "But if you had told me sooner, then I'd know you trusted me as much as you do with Anna—that I'd understand."

Takeshi fell silent. _I mean, come on. What else is there to say? I could say he's overreacting, but the last time I said those words, I had to endure Anna's ridiculous crying sessions and subsequently treat her to smoothies. _He swallowed. _No, that wouldn't fix things. It would just make it worse than it already is. _

"I know why you told Anna first," Yoh began to say. "It's because you knew she'd understand. You didn't tell me because you were afraid I wouldn't. You thought I'd throw a tantrum or something to that sort. I'm not a kid anymore, Takeshi. And I'm your student…your friend. I'd always understand and accept you as you are."

Takeshi felt a huge pang in his chest. _Crap. I screwed it up big this time. _He looked at Anna, pleading for help. All the itako returned was a stiff, cold stare, befitting of her title as ice queen. She looked to be mentally saying, "Only you can fix this. So man up and take responsibility!" Takeshi bit his lip. _And I thought she was gonna help me!_ _Aww, man._

Takeshi miserably looked back at Yoh, eyes hoping for absolution.

"I'm really sorry, Yoh," he said again. "Honest, I am. Is there any way to make up for this?"

Yoh swallowed. He wanted to say, yes, there was, but unfortunately, his emotions took over. He rarely felt betrayed, especially by a friend, and this was one of those rare times.

Yoh held his breath and then shouted in total contempt, "_No!_ There's nothing…_nothing you can do to fix this_!" With that, he quickly turned a heel and left, slamming the door behind him.

***

There. That's the end of Chapter 4. This one was focused entirely on Yoh and Takeshi's friendship, as you can plainly see. The next chapter will quickly come next. The big one. The one that will serve as the turning point of the story. Wait for it.

And reviews. ;) Don't forget those reviews. They keep this fic going. Thanks.


	6. Chapter 5: Takeshi's Role

My favorite chapter. And probably the one that will really knock you off your seats in surprise. Okay, maybe not. But this one will unveil a truth that will surprise you and you know me, I love "making commotion". xD

This is it. The big one. The turning point of this story.

So, what are you waiting for? Start reading!

***

"He didn't take it very well," Takeshi said grievously. A loud sigh escaped from his lips. "What am I gonna do?"

Anna frowned. She wasn't very good in giving advice when it came to broken friendships. She paused before answering. "I think you should just let him cool off. Think about things. Some problems have ways of solving themselves without your help."

Takeshi sighed again. "I hope you're right."

Anna moved from the foot of Takeshi's bed to his side. She looked at him worriedly. "So how are you?"

Takeshi cocked a brow. _Didn't I just answer that minutes ago? _"I told you, I'm feeling better."

Anna eyed him suspiciously. _You have a record of acting contrary to what you really feel, Takeshi. _"Is that the truth?"

Takeshi wanted to throw up his arms…if he could do that. "_Yeaahhh_…do we have to go through that all over again? I'm fine now. After all, you saved me."

Anna fell silent. Memories from last night exemplified in her head. She couldn't let go of the incident and all that happened; it was probably one of those times wherein she'd let her emotions loose and it was one of those times when she really felt so scared. This incident was probably second to those times when Yoh was about to die.

"Oh yeah, now that I mention it," Takeshi began, smiling gratefully, "thank you for saving my life, Anna. I owe you big time."

Anna fell silent. "No, we're just even."

Takeshi knew she was talking about that time when he'd saved her from En Tao. But, now that he thought about it, did she really need saving at that time?

"No, not really," Takeshi said, sighing. Switching the topic, he began to ask about what really happened last night. "What happened…after I passed out?"

Anna flinched. _She hated it when she had to talk about this…again. _"You didn't just pass out. You weren't breathing…and your heart wasn't beating anymore."

_What…? _Takeshi shivered. "You mean…I died?"

"No!" Anna didn't want to hear that _word _again. "You _almost _died, you did not actually die!"

"But you said I…"

"Then why are you still alive after everything that's happened? You can't bring the dead back to life, so if you had died, then we wouldn't be talking right now!"

Takeshi grew quiet. _She has a point. _He sighed for like the umpteenth time. "Thank you."

Anna crossed her arms. "You don't have to repeat it over and over."

"No, I want to. If you weren't there, I would've lost everything. I owe my life to you, Anna."

"Well, if you hadn't been so stubborn, then none of this would've happened!" Anna responded back reproachfully. "You had to act like a hero again…and we would've lost you…"

"I didn't want you to get hurt," Takeshi said in justification. "I was trying to protect you."

Anna glared at him knowingly. "Takeshi, I didn't need protecting. I can take care of myself." Takeshi knew that, and the revelation made him feel the more stupid. Anna continued. "Maybe it's time you start facing the fact that now, it's _you_ who needs a hero. Not me. Not Yoh. Not anyone else. It's all _you_."

Takeshi decided to concede. Anna was right, after all. "Alright, alright. I agree. I was a fool. I was stubborn. I admit it. So can we just forget it ever happened?"

"It's not as simple as that!" Anna almost screamed. She was trying to keep from losing it…and her temper. "Why do you act as if this is no big deal?!"

Takeshi reeled back. "I'm not acting as if this is no big deal! This _is_ a big deal!"

"Well, you don't look it!" Anna shot back intensively. "You don't know how hard it was for me to watch you suffer last night…to watch you die... You don't know how painful it was to see you trying to hold on to your life, and how there was nothing I could do but watch as doctors tried to keep you alive. And you don't know just how scared I was when I thought I was going to lose you! That _we _were going lose you!"

Takeshi tried to calm her down. "Hey, hey. Look, I'm okay now. See?" He forced a reassuring grin. "I'm alive. I'm recovering. So stop worrying."

Anna glowered at him. "You don't understand," she began. "You know I lo—"

"Yes, I know you _love _me," Takeshi said, in a tone that sounded as if he was hearing this for the millionth time already. "I know."

Anna opened his mouth again to continue, but Takeshi cut in, undeterred by the itako's growing irritation at constantly being interrupted.

"And I also know you _love _me more than you're supposed to," he said soberly. "You told me." He paused. "And I want to talk about that."

"There's nothing to talk about," Anna said coldly. "What else do you want to know? The truth is plain and clear."

"Maybe the truth about _you_ is plain and clear," Takeshi said quietly, "but mine isn't. You still haven't heard my side…my take about it."

Anna rolled her eyes. "I know what you think. You think it's going to destroy my family. You think it's infidelity. You think I'm acting inappropriately."

"And it's true," Takeshi said with conviction. "I still say the same thing. You _can't _love me. It's not right."

"What do you know about _right_, Takeshi?" Anna shot him a stony glare. "_Right_ is subjective. How do you know what's right and what's not? I know my feelings are right, simply because I can feel them in me."

"Well, right back at you, Anna. True, _right _is subjective. But how do you know your _right _is right? Because you felt them? Frankly, that's not enough."

Anna bit her lip. She knew Takeshi was talking sense. But she wasn't about to back down so easily. "I know what I'm doing, Takeshi. You have to trust me."

"I do trust you!" Takeshi said in dismay. "But not like this! Not this way! You have a husband! You've pledged eternal loyalty to Yoh, and you're just gonna break it because of sudden, familiar feelings you used to have for an old flame?"

"I'm not breaking my oath of loyalty to Yoh!" she argued back, getting angry. "I still love him, and I love my husband to death! How can you say something like that?!"

"I told you; love and marriage doesn't work like that! When you love, you love only one person, the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with! You're not supposed to love two men at the same time!"

Anna opened her mouth to justify her actions and feelings once again, when Takeshi threw her a piercing glare and said, "And don't you _dare_ start with that right-is-subjective nonsense again. You know what I'm talking about. You know I'm talking sense. We can never be together the way you want us to."

Anna was silent. She didn't know how to justify herself after what Takeshi had just said. Finally, when she found her voice, she said, "Are you…dumping me?"

Takeshi raised a brow. _Dumping? You sound like a teenage girl, Anna. You know you're twenty-four years old, right? _"We were never together. So you can't say I'm dumping you."

Anna held her breath before saying, "I want to know why."

"Why what?" Takeshi asked, confused.

"Why you really don't want us to be together."

"It's not about _not wanting_, it's about the fact that _we literally can't be together_!"

"Exactly!" Anna felt her hands unconsciously clench into fists. "I want to know why!"

Takeshi rolled his eyes. _We are __**so **__not getting anywhere here. _"Why do I have to repeat it over and over again? It's not—"

"I don't want to hear another one of your stupid infidelity nonsense," Anna said, evidently about to burst with anger. "Maybe you're right; but you also said something about the truths about you. That there's still something about you that's still not plain and clear."

Takeshi silently slapped himself. _Dammit. She remembered? She actually heard that?_

"Yes, I heard that," Anna said icily. "If there's something you don't want people to know about, then don't say your thoughts out loud."

Takeshi steeled himself. _I really don't want to have to tell this to her. _

"What did you mean by that? Answer me!"

Takeshi swallowed. He began to think hard. _Before I came back, the Asakuras were a happy family. Well, maybe their kid can be a little angsty and the parents aren't around a lot, but they had no marital problems at all. All were faithful to one another. This is all my fault. If Anna didn't get to see me, none of those old feelings of hers would've resurfaced. Her family would've been safe. _Takeshi sighed. _Maybe I should tell Anna about __**me**__. About the truth._

"Anna…if I hooked up with you," Takeshi began, boldly locking gazes with the itako, "I would be committing infidelity, too."

Anna felt her stomach lurch. _Did he mean what I think he means? _"Why?"

Takeshi paused. _It's time._

"Anna…I'm engaged."

(Author's note: Nope, we're not ending the chapter here. Not yet. Read on!)

Takeshi remembered when he regained consciousness last night, when he _temporarily_ regained consciousness. He was about to say a name. The only thing that came out of his big mouth was, "An…"

But Takeshi wasn't about to say Anna's name. The name that was about to come out of his lips was "Andrea". It was a different name, a different girl, and she was the woman he was going to marry in a few months.

"I…" Anna bowed her head down, speechless. She wanted to cry, but strangely, she didn't. Something about her felt that knowing about this was the right thing. This was what's meant to be. And even stranger still, she felt _relieved _knowing about it. "Who is she?"

Takeshi cleared his throat. "Andrea. Also a Japanese-American. We met in high school, a year after I left…this world…seven years ago." He paused; he wasn't sure if he should continue. "I took up history; she took up political science. We liked each other, and the rest is history."

"How did that happen?" Anna said quietly.

"Whaddya mean _how_?" Takeshi said incredulously. "We fell in love. You should know _how _it happened, of all people. You know that feeling…when you know this person is _the one_ and you just know deep inside that you want to spend the rest of your life with this person…so I proposed. She agreed."

"How long?" Anna then asked. Takeshi frowned, confused. _Why's she asking in broken sentences?_

"How long was I…?" Takeshi began. "How long was I engaged?" he then added, guessing.

Anna nodded. She thought it was better not to say so much.

"Since two weeks ago," Takeshi said, a little too proudly. "Andrea was pretty busy, so we decided to hold the wedding after two months."

Anna fell silent for about the umpteenth time. Sure, it usually didn't feel so uncomfortable being quiet for so long, but this time, it didn't feel so relaxing at all. Takeshi decided to take advantage of this and said gently, "See, Anna? Things are _really_ different now. We have our own lives to lead, our own paths to follow. We can't be together. Think about Yoh. Think about Hana. Think about your family. The family you've always wanted to have." Anna looked down. Takeshi continued. He was getting through her, finally. "Didn't you always yearn for a proper family to love and care for? Now you have your wish. Your dream. So don't just take it for granted. Cherish it…while it's still there." Takeshi paused. He smiled. "And don't say it's too hard to forget about me. You know that's not true."

Anna looked up at him. She couldn't help but smile at that, feeling amused. It could be kind of amusing when Takeshi was shoving truths into her face. Well, most of the time.

"It's not at all hard to forget about me," Takeshi continued, still grinning. "It's actually pretty easy. Don't force the whole Takeshi's-back issue when you actually don't need to. It's all in your head. Stay focused; keep your head and emotions at level."

Anna nodded. Something told her he was right. The hell with the concept of right-is-subjective. Takeshi was being very logical and he was _right_.

Takeshi also paused, thinking.

He remembered the "Oni" symbol on his arm. Was it possible that Anna had noticed it, too? It was impossible for her not to have seen it and grazed suspicion on it. But if she had noticed it, wouldn't she have brought the issue up with him? Takeshi had a sinking feeling and a big hunch that the "Oni" had a strong connection to his purpose in this world. Why he was sent here in the first place. It was easy to point the finger at marital difficulties at this moment, but Takeshi knew it better to look beyond the obvious. There was definitely something else at work here, something else wrong. And he knew it had something to do with that "Oni". Worse, he had a strong feeling it was connected to the Asakuras somehow. When Yoh and Anna were kids, they killed an Oni. Well, Yoh did. It was the Oh-Oni, the one that was transformed into Anna's famous beaded necklace by Kino Asakura.

Takeshi wasn't going to rest until he found out about this "Oni" and how was his purpose of being here connected to it. He flashed a sideway glance at Anna. Takeshi bit his lip nervously._ But Anna shouldn't know about this. If she knew, who knows what she'll do? _Takeshi swallowed. _If this is something Anna and Yoh can handle, then why call me to come and help when I don't even have my old powers anymore? I'm practically useless. I have to pursue this on my own…without the others knowing…but how?_

Suddenly, an idea hit him. He inwardly smirked. This might hurt Anna, but this was for the greater good. And anyway, this was a sure-fire way to kill two birds with one stone. Or two problems, rather.

"Anna."

Anna quietly looked at him. "What?"

"I don't want to be a burden to you guys anymore, so…"

Anna quickly caught on. She found that unacceptable. "Burden?! Takes—"

"Look, I'm doing you a big favor," Takeshi said, smiling and trying to sound more convincing. He grew serious. "I want you to forget about me. But with me still being here, I don't think that's going to be humanly possible. Everything was going just swell until I came back. My return sparked old feelings, feelings I didn't really intend to let loose."

"If you're going to say this is all your fault," Anna began coldly, "then don't say it. It's not because of you I'm acting this way."

"Don't be stupid, Anna," Takeshi said reprovingly. "We both know it's because of me. Stop trying to deny the facts."

"I'm not trying deny the facts," Anna said stubbornly.

"You are," Takeshi shot back pointedly. He paused. He blinked away for a second and looked back into Anna's eyes. "This…this is the last time you'll see me."

Stunned, Anna threw Takeshi a horrified look. "_What…did you just say_?"

"Anna, I'm leaving," Takeshi said flatly. "If I want you to have a happy family, then I have to make sacrifices."

"There's no need for—"

"There is. When a family is in turmoil, and both parents are incapable of helping themselves, it's only right for an outside force to make a move to right the wrongs of the family." Takeshi grinned. "So that's what I'm doing."

Anna felt helpless. She tried not to show it, but it still seeped through her voice and facial expression. "But—"

"No buts. This is final. And you have to accept that, Anna. After all, this is for your own good. And for Yoh's and Hana's. I'm doing this for your sake, so you better not start complaining about it."

Anna grew quiet. She knew she had no say in this. There was absolutely nothing she could do to change Takeshi's mind. Takeshi Himura always says what he means, and he always means what he says.

Takeshi inwardly smiled and sighed sadly, all at the same time. It was painful to make the itako feel the way she was feeling right now, but Takeshi knew it was what he needed to do.

Takeshi did love Anna, but not the way Anna wanted. She was like a sister to him, a sister he never had. He was an only child; he didn't have a sister. That was why when he had gotten over his old feelings for Anna, he became a little too overprotective.

His role was different, and it was harder. He had always considered himself as Anna's make-believe older brother, and that was his role. To find out about the mystery of the "Oni" and to protect the ones important to him.

Takeshi looked at Anna, sombre. He smiled bitterly. _What kind of "brother" would I be if I didn't protect you?_

***

So how do you guys feel? That's it. The official end of the TakeshixAnna pairing. At least, the romantic part of it. Start focusing on a somewhat brotherly or friendly relationship between the two, from now on. Just to remind you guys, unlike Anna, Takeshi never did harbor romantic feelings for her, not since seven years ago.

Anyhow, it's going to be quite the roadtrip from here on out. Watch that you don't get left behind. xD

And since I wrote and published two chapters for today, don't expect the next one to be up so soon. Just stay on the "alert".

Furthermore, don't forget to review, guys. There are two new chapters posted, so I'd hazard a guess you've all got a lot of stuff to say. ;) Later.


	7. Chapter 6: The Great Escape

I told you guys that from here on out, it's gonna be quite the "roadtrip." I also reminded you guys to watch that "you won't get left behind." And I meant that, especially now, more than ever. There are going to be a lot of bizarre plot twists and turns, but I've no doubt you're going to love all of them.

And **elpatolocosisi**? Forget _everything _I told you. ;) I guess when you first asked me about it, I wasn't too sure with the plotline. I told you; I screwed up. So I'm trying to fix it. So, technically, things are different now, so you just have to sit back and read.

Don't worry; everything will work out in the end. ;)

Cheers.

---

Takeshi was first to wake up this morning. He didn't really intend to wake up at 5 AM—that was usually way too early for this tastes—but the nurse had come over to give him a shot or two as well as a quick progress report on his condition. It would be quite rude if the nurse had just stuck a needle through his skin while he was snoozing and that would've pissed him off really badly.

"You know, you're getting a lot better," she said. "Really better."

"How _better_?" Takeshi asked.

"Enough for you to be discharged and sent home," the nurse replied pleasantly. She quietly took out a pair of scissors and began to move to the other side of Takeshi's bed.

Takeshi gaped at her, astounded. "For real?!"

"Yup. But you still can't go home today; the doctors are going to run extra tests on you just to make sure you're really fine, and by tomorrow you can leave."

Takeshi inwardly groaned. "Is that even necessary?"

"Well…to some of the doctors, it isn't. And I think they're right."

Takeshi sighed. _Me three._

The nurse began to take off some of the tubes to my body, gently dropping them to floor.

"But you know…you can't be too careful, right?"

_Oh sure. _"Yeah, I suppose." Takeshi looked up at the clock overhead and frowned. "Hey, about that woman who last visited…"

"Anna Asakura?"

Takeshi nodded. "Yeah. When's she coming back?"

"She didn't say…but visiting hours start six, so I guess she might be around at that time."

"You don't say…" Takeshi smirked. _Good. This is coming along as planned._

The nurse smiled, unaware of Takeshi's curious-looking smirk. "Well, I have to get going. I still have to go deliver some medicines. Take care, Mr. Himura."

"Thanks."

The moment the nurse gently closed the door and left the room, Takeshi's eyes began to drift from the foot of his bed to a window just a few meters above his position.

Takeshi smirked. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes. If Anna were here right now, she would've smacked him across the face for even thinking of doing something this crazy.

_I think I'll fit._

***

**Takeshi's POV**

I casually climbed through the open window and jumped off of it, only to land feet-first into a pile of crates. The impact made me wince lightly—frankly, I didn't think my gunshot wounds were still _that _painful.

Slowly, I surfaced from the pile and took a deep breath while gazing around me. I felt relieved that Anna had left some clothes out before she left last night—otherwise I'd have to perform my escape still wearing that lousy hospital gown. I won't be able to get very far if I'm caught red-handed outside the hospital in that stupid outfit.

SO, wearing a plain white shirt, a pair of faded jeans and a pair of old sneakers, I cautiously ran out into the parking lot.

"Where do you think you're going?" _Ugh. So much for being cautious._

Anyway, I felt like I was going to faint. _They recognized me…?!_

"You better get back in your room, Takeshi-sama," said that same voice. It was a man's voice. He sounded very familiar. "Anna-sama won't like it if your condition got even worse."

I stopped. _Anna-sama? _I quickly whipped around and came face-to-face with Umemiya Ryunosuke. Or Bokuto no Ryu, in other words.

"Ryu?!" I mouthed out. "What're you doing here?"

Ryu casually went around his awesome-looking motorcycle and smirked. "To look after you, of course. Anna-sama had a feeling you were going to do something stupid, so she sent me here to watch that you behave."

"_To look after me_?" I repeated in utter disbelief. "Who does she think I am—some five-year-old kid looking for trouble?"

"Well, maybe not a five-year-old, but you sure are looking for trouble, Takeshi-sama," Ryu replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "You know you still need time to recover from your gunshot wounds. And you know that won't be easy, considering you don't have your powers anymore."

I glared at him. _So much for Anna treating me like an adult. _"I'm fine! Look—the nurse said I'm well enough to leave—it's just that I still need to undergo some extra, _unnecessary _tests for precautionary measures! _Unnecessary_!"

I threw my arms in the air for emphasis, all the while still glowering at Ryu heatedly. _Honestly, I—! _Suddenly, I felt a small tinge of pain in my chest—probably one of my gunshot wounds—and I doubled over, wincing.

I could almost see Ryu's smug face looking down at me. _Can it, Ryu._

"See? You're not okay," he said, helping me straighten up. "Now you be a good boy and—"

Damn you. I had enough of this. "Stop treating me like a child! I'm twenty-four, dammit, and I know what I'm doing!"

"Yeah, you're trying to get yourself killed. _Again._" Ryu sounded awfully sarcastic. It pissed me even more.

"I told you; I'm better now!" I said through gritted teeth. "I've been recovering these past two weeks—there's no need to worry about me!"

Ryu coolly took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He stuck it inside his mouth and puffed. "Why're you in such a hurry to leave anyway?"

I stopped, taken aback. I didn't really expect him to ask such a question. I sighed, looking away. "You wouldn't understand."

Ryu puffed on his cigarette and grinned toothily at me. "Try me."

"No, you'd tell Anna."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you're her lackey. That's why you're out here, looking after me, in the first place."

Ryu cringed. "You are very harsh, Takeshi-sama."

"Not as harsh as Anna."

He nodded. Nobody could ever argue with that.

"But you can trust me, Takeshi-sama," Ryu added, puffing out a long trail of smoke from his mouth. "I can keep secrets."

"But are you good at keeping them?" was what I shot back.

Ryu sighed, obviously exasperated. He locked gazes, looking incredibly serious. I almost flinched from the sudden change of aura.

"Takeshi-sama…you might think I don't know what's going on."

"What?"

"I was more than your ambulance driver when Anna-sama called for me that night," he said, eyes narrowing. "For one thing, I know about that mark on your arm."

I gasped. "The _Oni_."

"_The _Black _Oni_," Ryu corrected me. "I didn't tell Anna-sama about it. I didn't think it was a good idea."

"Well, you got that right. Anna shouldn't know about this," I said, nodding in agreement. Focusing back on the issue at hand, I asked, "And while we're at it, who's the Black Oni, Ryu?"

Ryu stared at me like I had just grown two more heads. "You don't know about the Black Oni?"

_I've been gone for seven years; how am I supposed to know?! _I rolled my eyes. "Uh, no?"

Ryu sighed. He leaned back on his motorcycle and said, "Well, first off, the Black Oni is known to be a group of people, not a single person. I guess you could call it a cult."

"What kind of cult?" Images of people in hooded outfits came to mind.

"I'd say a demonic cult. They worship the Black Oni, a really powerful and evil demon."

"Powerful?"

"Yeah. Anna-sama said he could rival even the Spirit of Fire's God-awesome power."

"You serious?! The Spirit of Fire?!" I suddenly found myself gasping. Then suddenly realized I had just missed something significant. "Wait, wait, rewind a sec. Anna _knows _about this cult?!"

Ryu nodded, grinning broadly. "Of course. What do you expect? Anna-sama is very much well-informed. The Black Oni cult became notorious only two years ago, but nobody has been able to track down their exact hideout."

I mouthed out a big _O, _finally piecing everything together. "_Ohh_, now I understand why you didn't want to tell Anna. If she found out the Black Oni cult's after me, she'd go looking for them and might get herself killed."

Ryu nodded quietly. "That's right. If the Black Oni's really as powerful as the Spirit of Fire, then her life will be put into jeopardy."

"Wait a second…" I frowned, realizing something that was a bit off. "The Black Oni…is alive?"

"Well…I'm not sure if 'alive' is the right word to use, but…" Ryu paused. "Tokagero has been telling me that he senses a presence similar to the Black Oni every now and then, so I'd hazard a guess that the demon somehow managed to escape from Hell."

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know either," Ryu admitted. "But one thing's for sure, with the Black Oni back on the mortal plane, things aren't looking so good."

"Yeah, definitely. Especially since I'm pretty sure that bastard's got something bad up his sleeve."

I still couldn't understand why the cult was trying to get rid of me. I must pose some sort of threat of them, but I wasn't sure what that is now. And that's what I'm determined to find out.

"The Black Oni cult wanted me out of the way," I slowly said. Ryu listened intently. "I still don't get why. But that has to mean something."

"Like…?"

"Like they're planning something and I'm kind of in the way of it."

Ryu nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense."

"I just know something is up," I said with conviction. "And I'm not going to rest until I find out what that is, if it's the last thing I do."

Ryu suddenly became silent, like he was thinking hard about something. I frowned, curious. He suddenly smiled, tossing his cigarette aside,

"I'll help you."

I blinked, not believing my ears. "What?"

"You heard me, Takeshi-sama. I'll help you with your little quest." He stomped on the cigarette on the ground, crushing it.

"Why?" I said, asking the obvious question.

"If this is going to affect the mortal plane, then I'm willing to help stop something that could harm it. That could harm life as we know it."

I swallowed. I felt anxious, but a part of me said that having Ryu with me was a good idea. After all, I was practically powerless and having him by my side would be very handy, considering that he's a skilled shaman. He'd take good care of me.

But still, I wanted to make sure… "You promise not to tell Anna? Or anyone else?"

Ryu nodded. He looked pretty sincere. "Yes."

I smirked. "Alright. I'm holding you to your promise."

Ryu smiled mischievously and got on his motorcycle. He patted the back seat, beckoning me to hop on. I did.

"What's first on the list?" he asked, smirking.

I smiled crookedly. "I dunno—get me outta here, I guess?"

"Before Anna-sama gets here?"

"Duh, yeah."

"You know Anna-sama will get mad at you."

I shrugged, grinning. "No worries. There's nothing she can do that I can't handle."

Smirking to himself, Ryu revved the engine and we sped off.

---

How was that? You must've noticed; I used the first-person perspective. Well, I've always been better with first-person narrations, so I thought it'd be smart if I just keep it that way. It's not always going to be in Takeshi's POV, though.

Anyway, don't forget those reviews. Please and thank you. ;)


	8. Chapter 7: Unprotected

Two chapters in a row! How cool is that?

---

**Anna's POV**

Takeshi left. He escaped from the hospital—the blithering idiot.

When I got there, the nurses were in hysterics. Shouting things like, "Security! A patient's escaped!" I tried hard not to laugh; it sounded like something you'd only see in a movie. I suppose ridiculous things like these still happen in real life.

Ryu also came to tell me that he was sorry he wasn't able to watch over Takeshi properly. He was panting; like he had just ran through a marathon. Of course, I hit him for that, but now, I'm starting to think I shouldn't have.

Ryu handed me an envelope with a lot of money inside, and said they were from Takeshi. He told me Takeshi didn't want me to be paying for his hospital expenses, knowing that I'm nearly broke (which I am), so he gave the cash to Ryu, to be given to me.

Ryu quickly left after completing his "mission." Actually, I would've been suspicious of his behavior, running off like that so suddenly and without a word, but I suppose he was just scared of me. People usually are. I don't mind.

And about that reckless airhead, Takeshi.

Well, I'm not angry at him. Honestly, I'm not. It's strange, but I actually feel…_relieved_. I'm sure that fool half-expected that I'd explode like a volcano the second I found out about his clever escape, but I surprise even myself. If I was looking at myself in front of a mirror, I'd accuse myself of being out of character. Because, to tell the truth, I'm really okay with it.

Something about it seemed _right_ and I'm not really one to doubt my feelings—my _gut_ feelings, at that—so I suppose what happened is really what's meant to be. Something felt just right about Takeshi leaving, but I can't really put a finger on the reason why. It's really frustrating that I don't understand why, but I thought it prudent to just let it go. After all, I'm not really the kind of person who'd dwell on petty problems like that.

But, it did annoy me a little that Takeshi had to make his great escape when he's still in the recovery process. How stupid is that? I'm not surprised if he's still in pain up to this time. He deserves it for acting so reckless. He could've waited until he was properly discharged, but _no_, he just had to make like a cat burglar and sneak away quietly. I would've let him go without question, but then again, maybe I wouldn't have either.

My emotions are kind of confusing lately, and I don't get why. I said I love Takeshi and I told myself repeatedly that it was similar to the kind of feelings I have for Yoh, but something also told me, it wasn't. Something tells me that I'm just confused. That I'm mistaking one for the other. That I'm jumping to conclusions.

I'm starting to think that's true.

I know I rarely jump to conclusions, being very practical most of the time and I also know I'm not one to be easily swayed by emotions, as I was taught during my Itako training.

Which is why I don't understand why I lose my cool when I'm with that idiot, Takeshi. Why I act differently. I say I'm "in love" with the guy, but at the same time, I don't. I feel as if I'm mistaking that "love" I'm feeling for the man for something else. But I just don't know what. I even kissed the man and it's starting to feel as if I really, _really _shouldn't have done that. It felt like it was something I was going to regret that I did…someday.

I winced. All this thinking and inner monologue is making my head hurt. I don't usually do stuff like this—it's usually Hana who does these things—so I hate it when I do.

I quietly stepped into the inn, simultaneously taking off my sandals. I walked into the living room, where I found Yoh tinkering with his Harusame.

Suddenly, I felt light. It was strange, but I suddenly felt so happy to see Yoh. It was like I hadn't seen him in a long time, which is stupid, because I see him every day. I _wake_ up next to him every day.

But, out-of-character as it may sound, seeing Yoh made me smile. Made me happy.

Yoh suddenly sensed my presence and looked up, surprised. "Hey, you're back."

I nodded, the smile disappearing from my face. I didn't want him to see that.

I went around the table and sat next to him. I wanted to tell him about Takeshi leaving, but I thought it would be better if I just kept my mouth shut about him unless Yoh asked.

Well, predictably, he did.

"How is _he_?"

Ever since he had that row with Takeshi, he stopped referring to him by his actual name.

"He left," I said calmly.

Yoh almost fell off the couch in shock. "He did?"

"He said he had to go…somewhere…important," I lied.

Yoh, apparently, didn't notice I was lying. He almost always never did. I guess if you didn't have reishi, it's always hard to know if people are lying to you.

"Well, good riddance," he huffed before returning back to tinkering with his old sword.

I wanted to tell him off for talking about Takeshi like that, but I thought it wasn't a good idea. Takeshi did tell me to forget about him, and talking more about him wouldn't live up to what he expects of me. And besides, I don't want to have to fight with Yoh for something so trivial. I value our relationship more than that.

I looked at Yoh quietly. I could feel myself breaking into a smile again. I didn't understand why. "Yoh?"

He cheerfully looked up at me questioningly. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

Yoh paused, a little startled by the sudden offer. Then he laughed. He laughed so hard that it looked like he was going to cry from it.

"Aww…Anna-chan wants to spend time with me!" he teased.

I felt a vein pulse in my right temple. "Shut up," I said, glaring at him.

Yoh smiled even wider, so I smacked him on the head…hard. He yelped out in pain, clutching his skull.

"Ow! S-Sorry…"

I wanted to tell him off for apologizing. He has this stupid habit of saying sorry even when he technically doesn't need to, and this is one of those days.

After all…he was right.

I really wanted to spend time with him.

***

**Takeshi's POV**

I felt so stupid for forgetting to pay for my hospital bills. A second later, Anna might've had to pay for them and she's broke. Yoh's broke. Well, at least I think so. Those two don't have a job, and Anna said the Asakura fortune's dwindling, so yeah. I guess they are broke.

Ryu dropped me off in front of an old warehouse near the pier while he went to hand the money over to Anna. Poor guy was as scared as hell. I guess he just didn't want to face Anna after he let me escape.

I folded my arms in front of me, frowning. I stared down at my watch for like the tenth time already. Okay, so I wasn't really counting, but still, Ryu was taking too long. Where was he?

Suddenly, I saw a shadow of a man quickly move before my eyes. I blinked. What was that?

I quietly stared around, hoping I was merely hallucinating.

I wasn't.

"Still alive, I see."

I steeled. I remembered that voice.

"I know you," I said loudly. I silently searched around for the hoodlum, hoping he didn't notice I actually didn't know where he was right this moment.

"I know you, too," came his drawling voice.

"What do you want?" I called out, trying to sound braver than I felt.

There was a morbid pause. I felt my blood go cold.

"_Your life._"

A second later, I heard a soft click. I thought it was just my imagination at first, but the strong smell of gunpowder quickly proved me wrong. I jumped and barrel-rolled to my right just in time to avoid a whizzing bullet that threatened to pierce through my skull.

"So close," I whispered.

The hooded man—the same guy who tried to kill me, I presumed—slowly walked out from behind a small ice cream stand from across the street and pointed his gun at me.

I could almost see him smirking. "I _know_. Let's make the gap even closer."

He fired again, and I rolled away again. I began to feel dizzy. _Okay, I can't keep doing this forever._

He quietly moved closer to my position, chuckling to himself maniacally. I dove behind a couple of trash bins and called out boldly, "I know you're a member of the Black Oni!" I cleared my throat. "Tell me what you want with me!" _Well, that sounded pathetic._

"I was not instructed to answer questions, especially yours," was his reply. "I was only instructed to make sure you die."

With that, he fired again. The bullet pierced through the trash bin to my left and I shuddered. Again, that was a close one. Any closer, I might've been shot again. And most probably, I'd actually die from it this time.

And my attacker knew it.

"Are you scared?" he said in a taunting tone. I wanted to be offended and scream at him that I was no scaredy cat. But that would just get me killed. So I remained silent. He continued. "No Anna Asakura to protect you now… You're all alone, Takeshi Himura."

I almost fell back in shock. "You know Anna?"

The man didn't answer. He simply fired again. I ducked, feeling the bullet whiz above me.

Panting, I inwardly jumped for joy. _Yeah! _A lead, finally! If the Black Oni knew about Anna and what she can do as an itako, then she must have something to do with what this cult—or this _demon_—must be planning.

Suddenly, I felt sharp pain burn through my chest. I staggered back and hit the wall behind me. My wounds were acting up. _Crap. _I could almost see my attacker smirking victoriously.

"You're still recovering from your gunshot wounds," he commented.

I didn't let him finish. "Gunshot wounds that you inflicted on me," I spat at him.

"Such an honor," he said sardonically. I felt my jaw tighten angrily. The man chuckled. "And such a wonderful thing. It will be very easy to kill you then."

"Bring it on, jerkface!" I yelled before pushing the warehouse doors behind me open and flinging myself inside. Sweating profusely, I quickly grabbed the lock that was gathering dust between my feet and used it to lock myself from the other side of the warehouse. There was another set of doors in the opposite side of the building and I planned on making that my escape route.

One thing was pulsing rapidly in my head: how am I supposed to make the Black Oni believe that I'm dead? That they actually killed me? They won't let up unless they're sure I'm wiped off from the face of the Earth and I have to somehow make them think that I'm gone for good. But how?

Suddenly, I saw a bunch of ultra-thick metal sheets stacked one on top of the other. A filthy-looking leather jacket (that still looked fake, anyway) hung on a nail a few inches from the stack. I smirked. That gave me an idea.

Memories from an old time travelling movie came spiralling into my head. For the first time, I thought, Hollywood actually held significance.

There wasn't a moment to lose. It was now or never. I quickly sprinted over to the stack of metal sheets and grabbed one of them. There were holes in each of its four corners and each hole had a really thick rope tied around it. I didn't know what they were for, but for now, I considered them as my only shot at saving my life.

I tied the two adjacent ropes together and pulled the loop over my head. The "breastplate" fit snugly, though I had to admit, it was kind of heavy. It was really thick and made of solid metal. I felt like I was gonna collapse because of the weight. My gunshot wounds didn't quite help either. But I had to bear through this. I had no other choice.

I quickly ran and snatched the worn jacket from the hook, using it to cover my new "breastplate." With that, I made my way towards the other exit, the one overlooking the sea.

As fate would have it, the other set of doors behind me crashed open and yup, you got it, there was the madman, shooting away at me with his gun.

I continually ducked and jumped and barrel-rolled to avoid the bullets, and strangely, I did miss each one. I know, it seemed really unbelievable—I've always thought something like this only happens in the movies—but that's what really happened.

Finally, I reached the other side of the warehouse and pushed the doors open. I focused my attention on that side of the pier with no railings to separate land from the sea. That was exactly what I needed to fake my own death; but I had to do this carefully.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I could still hear the mad gunman shooting at me. He still couldn't hit me. Maybe he was just a bad shooter. Or maybe I was just plain lucky. I probably have an angel watching over me. Maybe.

Finally, I reached the part of the pier that I was looking for. I carefully stood with my back to the sea, my heels just a few inches away from sliding off the sand and falling into the waters. It so happened that that particular area was situated in a corner, so it gave my assailant the feeling that he got me now. That I was completely under his mercy.

_Oh_, man, that bonehead didn't know just how wrong he was!

I wanted to scream, "Ha!" at him like an arrogant brat, but that might give me away. Instead, I acted all scared and shaky, hoping that would trick the man into shooting me.

Yeah, I wanted him to shoot me. I was _not _losing my sanity; I wanted him to shoot me, for real. More specifically, I wanted him to hit me in the chest, where my lifesaving breastplate or "bullet-proof vest" was hidden beneath my ugly jacket. The sudden impact with the metal would be painful, yeah, considering I was still recovering from being shot multiple times before, but I'd still be alive. And that's what mattered.

The force would send me tumbling down into the sea. I'm a trained swimmer, I can stay underwater for as long as five minutes and I'd do that now. The idiot would think I'd drowned, having been "shot", and I'd just resurface once I was sure he was gone.

Easy peasy. Or not. I swallowed. _Focus, Takeshi, focus!_

"You sealed your death sentence the moment you stepped to this side of the pier," he declared knowingly. I wanted to laugh at him. _Quite the contrary, my good man. _"You have nowhere else to run. To hide. No one to protect you. No Anna Asakura to save you." The man raised his head and I got a good look at the face beneath the hood. He had scars on his face and he had unruly orange hair. He looked to be in his thirties.

I also saw a black "Oni" symbol just like mine tattooed on the man's left arm. I guess that mark proved you're a member of the Black Oni. Or a victim of theirs, in my case.

He smiled crookedly, pointing his gun at me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to make sure the bullet was going to hit any part of my upper torso, where the metal was.

"A bullet to the heart," my attacker said softly. "Very dramatic."

I wanted to scream triumphantly. A bullet to the heart…to the chest! Yes! Everything was going just as planned.

He set his finger on the trigger. "Goodbye, Takeshi Himura." The gun went off.

I felt the bullet hit the metal on my chest. The sudden force made me gasp in pain—I still had my old gunshot wounds after all—and I stepped back and fell into the sea behind me.

Before I fell, I saw the man smiling victoriously at me. In a split second, he swished his cloak and just like that, he vanished. Looked like he didn't want to make sure I was really going to die. Good. What a dope. If I were the Black Oni, I would've punished him severely for his stupidity. But I guess his stupidity is good news, seeing as it worked towards my favor.

I suddenly felt water envelop me. I took a deep breath before I totally sunk into the sea. I fell backwards into the water, so it was a bit hard to maintain good form below.

But there was one thing I didn't anticipate. The rocks underwater.

I gasped in pain, bubbles of water gushing out of my mouth. My head hit a big rock and I felt like I was going to faint. The last thing I saw before blacking out was a girl. She was swimming towards me and she grabbed my hand, pulling me up. That was all I saw.

***

I woke up by the side of the pier, soaking wet. I was shivering. My head also hurt terribly. And I couldn't see very well.

I suddenly felt a warm, fuzzy towel wrap around my body. I looked up. There was a girl standing over me. I tried to make her out more clearly, but my vision was just too blurry for that. I sneezed loudly. I heard the girl giggle. _What the hell's so funny?_

I looked up, squinting. Who was this girl anyway? I was sure she was the same one who dove into the water after me and saved me from drowning.

At first, I thought it was Anna again coming to my rescue. (I know; I sound pathetic.) But it wasn't her. The girl was taller and had long, flowing black hair. Anna's blond. Obviously, this wasn't her.

"That was a dangerous stunt you pulled," the girl suddenly said.

I found myself answering back. "Well, what else was I supposed to do? I had no other choice."

"I suppose you're right." I heard footsteps walking away from me. The girl was leaving. "But it's a good thing I got to you when I did. Otherwise, _someone would've lost you_, and _you're the only one she has left._"

I wasn't really listening. I just wanted to know who the girl was.

"Who are you?"

There was no answer. Still groggy, I passed out again.

***

I don't know how many times I've woken up today. It seemed I'd repeatedly pass out, wake up, pass out and then wake up again. Frankly, it's starting to annoy the crap out of me.

This time, I woke up with Ryu crouched down beside me, shaking me awake.

"Takeshi-sama?" He sounded worried. "Are you alive?"

Annoyed for some reason, I pulled the towel around me away from Ryu's grasp. "Of course I'm alive; what made you think I'm not?"

"Uh…you weren't speaking?"

I sighed. I refrained myself from calling him an idiot. He was receiving too much verbal abuse from me and he didn't really deserve it. He was helping me, after all. I sighed again, more deeply this time. _Anna's rubbing off on me._

"What happened?" he asked, concerned as hell.

I rubbed my head, trying to gather my bearings. "Some psycho from the Black Oni came and tried to kill me again. I barely managed to survive."

"But why're you drenched? Did he push you into the sea or something?"

I shook my head. "No, he shot me."

Ryu looked absolutely horrified. "You were shot?! Again?"

I laughed. I waved my hands in front of his face, trying to calm him down. "Yes, I was, but I was wearing _this_." I opened my wet jacket and revealed the metal "breastplate" I had underneath. There was a deep dent in the area where my heart was supposed to be.

I guess the man really was a sharpshooter then.

"A bullet-proof vest?" Ryu mouthed, amazed. He chuckled. "You've been watching too many movies lately, Takeshi-sama."

I smirked at him. "I know, and they saved my life."

Ryu then helped me up, with my towel still snugly wrapped around me. Suddenly, I wondered where that towel came from. I tried to remember things before Ryu came to wake me up, but most of it was a blur. I couldn't even remember why my head was hurting so much.

"So what's next?" Ryu asked.

Popping back into reality, I began looking around cautiously. I quickly pushed my hair down, desperately trying to look different from what I usually look like.

"The Black Oni thinks I'm dead," I whispered to Ryu haphazardly. "And we have to keep it that way. If they find out I'm still alive, they'll hunt me down again and try to kill me for the third time."

Ryu stared at me, terrified. "Well, we can't have that!"

"That's right, so I need you to hide me, Ryu. Change my name, my look…and my identity. They mustn't know that I'm still alive."

Ryu quickly shielded me from the streets and he immediately took off his big, white jacket and forcefully made me wear it. He grabbed a big trucker cap from his knapsack and pushed it down my head. Then, he shoved a pair of shades into my face.

"There!" He grinned down at me, satisfied. "We'll have to make do with that for now. I'll fix you up in my place later, so don't worry too much about style, Takeshi-sama."

"I'm not worried about that; I'm worried about my life!"

Ryu quickly hopped on his motorcycle and I sat just behind him. He put on his helmet. "It's a good thing you're sopping wet, otherwise it would've been easy to recognize you. But we can't take our chances, right? Let's just get out of here."

I put on my own helmet and grinned gratefully. "Thanks, Ryu. Dunno what I'd do without your help."

I could almost picture Ryu smirking lightly. "Always glad to be of service, Takeshi-sama."

---

Okay, first off, after Ryu found Takeshi all soaking wet by the side of the pier, there was nobody spying on them or anything. I just wanted to make that clear; some of you might have some crazy ideas about another member of the cult watching Ryu and Takeshi as they conversed. No; if that were the case, I would've said it myself.

Secondly, that black-haired girl is not someone from another anime. No; this time, it's all Shaman King, and well, some new characters I made up, I guess.

Also, I'm not really _that_ satisfied with how I wrote under Anna's POV. I hope I did fine. It's my first time to write under Anna's perspective, so do take it easy on me.

And yay! I wrote a YohxAnna moment! You must be happy! Well…that was only a small YohxAnna moment, but come on, at least there's one! Better one than none! (Hey, that rhymes!)

And furthermore, there will be less chapters about Anna and Yoh, and more of Takeshi and Ryu. I know; you'd say I'm taking away the original "Shaman King" part of the fic (because Takeshi is not an actual character of the series), but no, that won't turn out like that. Some familiar (and fan favorites!) SK characters will show up and the reason why I can't give too many chapters to Yoh and Anna is because the action is in Takeshi's side. You'd get bored if I just wrote pointless YohxAnna chapters with no meaning and just for the sake of publishing a YohxAnna moment.

And remember; Anna and Yoh are completely unaware of the "big thing" that's gonna happen and it's only Ryu and Takeshi who are going to make that "big thing" known. Because Anna and Yoh are constantly kept in the dark, there's really nothing for them to talk about.

Anyway, sorry, long post-chapter notes…I wanted to explain some things…y'know, shed light on some confusing stuff.

Thanks again for reading. Review, okay? ;)


	9. Chapter 8: Touya Kobayashi

Okay, so it's not two chapters in a row, but three! This is awesome! I'm on a _freaking_ roll!

---

**Takeshi's POV**

If Ryu was ever going to get married, then I'd say he's gonna make a pretty good "house-husband." He makes the best tea, the most awesome egg sandwiches…crap. What I wouldn't give to drag this man over to my realm and turn him into a maid.

Sorry. That sounded kinda cruel. This man's a shaman, not my slave, and he's willingly helping me, so maybe I shouldn't be thinking about him like this.

But, if Anna was looking into my thoughts right now, I'm sure she'd be proud.

"All dried up, Takeshi-sama?" Ryu said, pouring me another serving of tea.

_Takeshi-sama._ This is really starting to make me feel like I'm in charge. And I'm in Ryu's little house. Ryu really has a way of making guests feel good even in his own quarters.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. I put the cup down and threw Ryu a sober look. "Let's start."

Ryu stared at me, confused. "With what?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. _Ugh. So slow. _"With changing my identity and our plan to uncover more information about the Black Oni."

"Oh."

_This is getting nowhere fast. _"Ryu! We're not getting anywhere here."

"I know."

I sighed. "I just need to borrow some clothes so I can change how I look."

"Oh, is that it?" Ryu chuckled. He quickly got up and ran over to his room. "Follow me, Takeshi-sama!"

I did. Ryu had just swung his closer open and he was busily rummaging through it, searching for something that will fit me.

He tossed a spiked, black jacket behind him. I narrowly missed it and it fell on his bed. I quietly picked it up and gaped at it in disbelief. The spikes looked all sorts of freaky. Sure I've seen stuff like this before, but I never even imagined myself wearing it.

Ryu tossed me a pair of shades, a pair of wristbands (still with the spikes) and a neckband (with spikes, of course). A clean black shirt and a pair of torn jeans also came next. I felt my mouth fall open.

"What atrocity is this?" I suddenly found myself saying. _Okay, now I know I'm really starting learn from Anna. Is this good or bad?_

"My old get-up," Ryu answered proudly. "I used to wear them when I was still a teenager."

"And that was how many years ago?"

Ryu's ears went red. He frowned at me, outraged. "Hey! That was only a few years back!"

"More than seven years ago?" I offered, cocking an eyebrow.

Ryu swallowed, embarrassed. "Uh, yes."

I smirked. "This stuff is way out of style."

"Well, you said you wanted to look different!" Ryu argued.

I nodded slowly. _Yeah, true. _"I did." I eyed the jacket pleasantly. "Actually, come to think of it, this does look like the perfect disguise. Even if it is out of style."

Ryu sweat-dropped. I'm starting to think he doesn't like whenever I call his clothes out of style. I laughed and punched him in the shoulder. "This is great. Thanks, Ryu."

"Ow!" He stepped back.

I stared at him, confused. That punch was supposed to friendly, not painful. Jeez. Is this guy really a shaman? Well, yeah, he is, and he's one of the best out there, so maybe he's just trying to humor me or something.

Ryu, still massaging his shoulder, grinned at me and said he'd just go and look for a pair of spiked boots to go with my get-up. I nodded. _Good idea._

He left the room. I closed the door as he did.

I took off my wet stuff and put on the clothes Ryu lent me. After strapping that scary-looking neckband around my, well, neck, I walked towards the full body mirror near the window and stared at myself.

To simply to put it, I looked like someone only the Yakuza would spew out.

But, don't get me wrong, I looked awesome! If this was how I was gonna look like as a gangster, then I would've given up teaching and gone the mafia way instead.

No, I was joking. _About me turning into a gangster._

But, no kidding about this outfit. This get-up is friggin' awesome.

Ryu opened the door with a loud creak and beckoned me to leave the room. I did and he led me back to the living room. He was holding that now-cool-looking pair of spiked boots up. He grinned, sizing me up top to bottom.

"You don't look like yourself, Takeshi-sama," he commented.

_Thanks. _"Yeah, I know, right?"

He dropped the boots between my feet. He smirked. "This oughta complete the mix."

I slowly crouched down and sat on the floor. I put on the boots. They fit just nicely.

I grinned excitedly. "There!"

"No, wait!" Ryu suddenly ran off and came back with a comb in one hand and a bottle of hair gel in the other. I raised a brow at him. _**No**_**. **_You're not going to do what I think you're going to do…right?_

"If you really want to change how you look, you still gotta change the way your hair looks!"

I sweat-dropped. Ryu sounded like a fashion consultant.

"Are…are you sure about this?" I said. I never really liked hair gel, but if this is what it took to attain the perfect guise, then I'm willing to have Ryu turn me into some sort of punk rockstar.

Ryu nodded excitedly. "Yup!"

I sighed. I nodded. "Fine. Pour it in."

Barely a minute later, I looked back at myself in front of the mirror. I didn't look bad, actually, I look just fine, but…

"Ryu! I look like Horo-Horo!"

I wasn't really complaining, just stating a fact.

"Then good." Ryu looked pretty confident. "At least you don't look like your old self anymore. That's what we're trying to do, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

My hair was gelled straight up, just like how Horo-Horo's hair looks like. It wasn't blue though, just plain black, and I had a small strand of hair that was hanging down the side of my face. I guess it's still a bit different.

I heard shuffling behind me. "Don't forget the shades!" Ryu then slapped them on my face. I almost fell back in surprise. _Hey…! _I gazed at my punk reflection. _Oh, I forgot about that._

I felt Ryu smile triumphantly beside me. "Now…the disguise is _perfect_."

"Not yet." I turned to him. "I still need a new name. Any smart ideas?"

Ryu frowned, thinking. "Well, I don't know if this is classified as 'smart', but I _have _some ideas."

"Forget I ever said 'smart.' Tell me what they are."

"Uh…Mikihisa—"

"That's the name of Yoh's father. I don't want to sound like a lost member of the Asakura clan."

"Ayame Yamaguchi."

"That's a girl's name, Ryu."

"I know. Ken Watanabe."

"Do you even realize whose name you're giving me?"

"Sorry. How about Shinichi Kobayashi?"

I paused. _That actually sounds good. _"Nice. But it's a little too long. Any other ideas?"

"Touya Kobayashi?"

_Where does he get these names? _"That's perfect."

"Should I start calling you Touya from now on?"

I nodded. "Yeah, for now."

"Touya-sama?"

I smirked. _For some reason, that felt nice._ "Yeah?"

"Nothing. I was just trying to see if your name sounds okay."

"Of course it sounds okay," I said, laughing. "I wouldn't have picked it out if it makes me sound pathetic."

"That is true…"

_It's time to wrap this up. _"Anyway, you're a genius, Ryu. Thanks." I grabbed his arm and began dragging him out of the room. "Now let's get out of here."

Ryu pulled away from my grasp and gawked at me in disbelief. "Where are we going?"

"To look for the Black Oni's HQ, what else?"

Ryu looked absolutely mortified. "Their hideout?! Are you crazy?"

"Well, it's the only way to know what's going on," I said, trying to justify my plan. "I don't have any other choice here. And we don't have much time left. They could strike at any time and—"

"It's almost night-time! Can't we just wait it out until tomorrow?" he said hopefully. I glared at him. He sounded like a total wimp. What happened to the tough Bokuto no Ryu I've known since seven years ago? And puh-lease. It was still 2 in the afternoon. That doesn't sound like "almost night-time" to me.

"I'll let you stay the night," Ryu offered, obviously trying to bribe me into not going.

"_No_!" I barked at him, frustrated. "If we do, we might be too late!"

"We don't even know what they're planning, Touya-sama. We could be worrying about nothing."

"We're not!" I shot back heatedly. "I just know there's something major that going to happen, so please, just trust me on this one!"

"How do you know something's going to happen, Touya-sama?" he asked me, probably trying to prove to me that I was wrong.

"Look, can't you just trust me on this?" I said, almost furiously. "If nothing's going to happen, then nothing's going to happen, okay? We'll just leave. If something's really going to take place, then I don't want to be too late to stop it! Do you understand me?"

Ryu sighed. "Yes."

"But do you understand how important this is?"

"Not rea—"

I was starting to get horribly pissed off. "Why not?!"

"Because we're just riding on mere presumptions here. How can we be sure that—"

"We can't be sure unless we get there and see for ourselves," I shot back, now undoubtedly furious. "That's the time we can turn back and you can tell me I was just overreacting."

Ryu sighed again, more deeply this time. "You're not gonna let up, are you?"

"No," I said with venom. "Not until I'm sure everybody's safe from this Black Oni."

Ryu fell silent. He kicked at the floor, thinking to himself.

"Ryu, I can't do this alone," I said quietly. "You have to help me. You _promised _to help me."

"I know."

"So, I ask you now—are you with me?"

I heard another sigh. But this time, it sounded amused. Ryu looked at me and smirked. "Of course, Takeshi-sama, always."

I felt total relief sweep through my body. _Finally, I got through him._

"It's Touya, Ryu."

Ryu scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Sorry, I meant _Touya-sama_."

---

I cut the chapter; I thought it was too long. This was supposed to be almost 15 pages long, but I thought that was more than enough. ;)

Anyway, I'm not sure I like this chapter very much, except for the latter parts. I dunno about you guys. Lemme know what you think through your reviews.


	10. Chapter 9: Double Shocker

Let's move on. What, surprised with the quick updates? I guess I'm just overflowing with ideas lately.

---

**Takeshi's POV**

"We've been looking everywhere, Touya-sama!" Ryu exclaimed, obviously tired and exasperated. "And still no sign of the Black Oni's hideout!"

"Shh!" I smacked him on the back of the head with my left hand. "They might hear you!"

"You're just paranoid, Touya-sama," Ryu said. "And just admit it. We don't know where the Black Oni's HQ is. Let's just give up on this."

We were cruising slowly through the streets on Ryu's motorcycle, in search of some sort of suspicious-looking place (that could be classified as a cult's hideout) and some suspicious-looking people going into a suspicious-looking gathering.

So far, we found nothing like that. Unfortunately.

"Can't we just retire for the night?" Ryu asked hopefully. _You wish, Ryu._

I shook my head. "No. There's no time for that. Let's just stop by a bar or something and rest for a bit. Then we'll go looking for the Black Oni after."

"But it's almost night-time!" Ryu complained.

"Don't be a baby, Ryu," I snapped at him. "And it's only five."

"It'll only be a few hours until the sun sets!"

"I don't even get why we're talking about this." I groaned, infuriated. "I don't care if it's getting late; I'm going to look for their HQ, or my name isn't Touya Kobayashi!"

"Takeshi Himura."

"Shut up! We don't want them to know that!"

***

Ryu quietly sipped his tea, looking bored. And exhausted. I know; drinking tea inside a bar isn't exactly very appropriate, but I didn't want us getting drunk, otherwise we'd lose focus of what we're supposed to be doing.

Ryu bought a large mug of beer, but I poured its contents on a nearby plant the moment the bartender handed it to him. The plant wilted. I knew that stuff's bad news.

Ryu was crying waterfalls. The idiot. He knows we're in the middle of an important mission and he wants to get drunk? *sigh*

I just got myself a small cup of tea. I wasn't really in the mood for some drinks, but I just wanted Ryu to rest and recuperate. I couldn't have my partner giving up on me. My shaman partner, rather.

I watched the people go about their bar activities pleasantly. Things looked pretty normal. Some were watching soccer on TV, while some were partying with their drink buddies, while some were just like us—forlorn and out of place.

However, one area of the bar caught my eye.

There was another door somewhere in the far back of the bar. There was a big, burly man standing in front of it, like a security guard. I watched as a curious-looking man stopped in front of the man and showed the guy something. I couldn't see what it was. Then the guard opened the door and let the guy in.

I frowned. Something about that struck me suspicious. _What's in there?_

I watched as more people went inside that mysterious room. They were a lot of them coming and going, but they did it discreetly. I had a feeling they didn't want other people to know they were going in.

Most of them were carrying long, black clothes on their arm as they entered that room. Some didn't, but they were still let in. I craned my neck to see more clearly.

One of the "guests" showed the guard his arm. I gasped silently.

It was the Black Oni symbol.

I observed. More came in and they all bore the same mark as the one on the others, the one on my attacker and the one on my arm. I even glimpsed one of them putting on the black cloth thingy as he went inside. It was a hooded cloak.

I hid a smirk. Objective met.

***

"I didn't even notice those marks," Ryu said, amazed at my "senses."

I smirked. "That's because you had your back to the door."

"Oh yeah."

I then pulled him off his stool and began pushing him out of the bar. "Stay outside. I'm going in to find out all I can about what they're planning."

"Why can't I go with you?"

"Stop whining, Ryu. You don't have the Black Oni symbol on your arm."

Ryu pulled out a black marker from his pocket. "I can draw it in!"

_Use your common sense, Ryu. _"We shouldn't try to fool them. They might see through us and if they do, we'll get thrown out or worse, attacked. And we won't get to know about their plans if that happens."

Ryu sighed. "Alright. I'll stay outside and keep watch then."

"Yeah. Once I get all info I need, I'll head out as fast as I can. If something goes wrong, I'll run out and you start the bike. It'll cause a hubbub, but we'd have no other choice. But still, that's just the worst case scenario."

Ryu nodded. "Got it." He turned and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

I turned to the entrance to the Black Oni's hideout. _Who woulda thunk. _I smirked. I slowly made my way to the door. Somebody just went inside with a cloak. I didn't have one, but maybe the "new guy" alibi could justify that.

The guard didn't ask for my name. He just pointed at my arm roughly and barked, "Your mark."

Without a word, I raised my arm and pulled the sleeve back. The mark of the Black Oni stared back at the man. I hoped there wasn't really a difference between the death mark I had on my arm and the ones on the cult's living members.

There wasn't.

The guard let go of my arm and nodded. "Membership verified." He gave me an emotionless stare. "Your cloak?"

I swallowed. "Um…I don't have one, sorry."

"Don't have one?" I didn't know if the guy was suspicious, but I had to take my chances.

"Yes…I'm new; I just joined the group recently," I lied. I hoped he wouldn't notice.

He didn't. The dimwit. Why are all Black Oni members a couple of brainless morons? Doesn't their master know which to pick?

"Get in," the guard said gruffly. I felt myself being forcefully shoved inside and I staggered forward. I winced. My gunshot wounds tightened. Oh well.

The room inside was huge. It was all black, with dozens of brightly lit chandeliers hanging around the walls. It looked like I was suddenly plunged six centuries into the past. The speakers near the stage were probably the only living proof that this was the 21st century.

There were also symbols of the Black Oni scattered around. _That's expected._

Most people were wearing hooded cloaks. Some didn't, like me, but nobody really took notice or made a huge fuss about it. Thank goodness.

People were gathering to the center of the room, in front of the stage. It seemed there was a meeting about to take place. I quickly squeezed into the crowd. Nobody seemed to condemn all the pushing and shoving I did (which I didn't mean to do anyway) so good for me.

A man, also in a hooded cloak went up the stage and took the mic. I frowned; this guy looked familiar. Horribly familiar.

The man pulled his hood off his head and I felt my stomach sink.

It was my attacker. The one with orange hair and with scars on his face.

"Welcome, my friends!" he said in a booming voice.

Everybody else began to drop to their knees and bow before this guy. I quickly scrambled to my feet and followed what they did. I sure as hell didn't want to just keep on standing while everybody was down on the ground, otherwise my former attacker would get suspicious. I'd finish with my mission before I even started.

Everybody began to murmur, "Master… Master…" in slow whispers.

I followed, though it irked me to have to do the same. _So this dimbulb is the human head honcho of the Black Oni group. I should've known._

"I have splendid news for all!" he declared. He smiled toothily. "Takeshi Himura is finally _dead_!"

People began to clap. I fought to keep my mouth from dropping dumbly. All these people wanted me dead?! Why?

I found myself clapping with them. I didn't want to look out of place, even if I knew I was actually clapping for my own death. The death I faked just hours ago.

"All hail Makoto-sama!" people began to chant. "All hail Makoto-sama!"

I raised a brow. _Makoto-sama?_ I looked up at the guy standing onstage. I'd hazard a guess that the Black Oni chief's name was Makoto. The truth was practically screaming into my face.

"My friends! That day is coming to a close!"

People murmured in agreement. _What is coming to a close?_

"Sunday. The day of destiny. The day fate makes itself known."

I swallowed. Something _is _definitely in the works here. Sunday…what's happening on Sunday? Today's Friday…ack! It's only the day after tomorrow!

"Let us not forget that day. That day when Anna Asakura had betrayed our Master's kind--the Oh-Oni she created! Our Master's '_mother_' has failed him--she even had that meddling oaf, Yoh Asakura interfere--she let him destroy the Oh-Oni!" Makoto paused before screaming, "Soon they will suffer, too...they will die... the Master will take his revenge! All hail the Black Oni!"

People began to cheer. I felt my sweat go cold. _Holy crap. _So this is what they're planning. The Black Oni will be taking his revenge Anna and Yoh for what they did to the Oh-Oni in Anna's body years ago. And the Black Oni actually came from Anna...I had no idea. So he must've separated with Anna's body when he was sent to Hell. But now he's back.

"The singular threat to our plan, Takeshi Himura, has been wiped out. We have thwarted the vision. Takeshi Himura will no longer be a bane to our goals!"

People cheered even louder. _Vision? What vision?_

"The death of Anna and Yoh Asakura is imminent and inevitable. And for that, let us rejoice!" People cheered and Makoto raised his arms high into the air triumphantly.

I felt my breathing growing constricted with anxiety. _I have to warn Yoh…and Anna…_

People began to separate in the crowd. Makoto began to walk away from the stage.

I also turned and began to walk off. _Quickly_.

I wanted out of here.

Trying hard not to go into hysterics, I haphazardly pushed the door to the bar open, almost knocking the guard over.

The guard eyed me, surprised. "Aren't you going to stay for the feast?"

I shook my head, refusing to make eye contact. "Uh, no. I still have to…um…feed my dog."

I immediately turned and walked away. I felt the man's confused eyes boring through me. I fleetingly looked back. The man just shrugged as if saying, "Must be a rabid dog lover."

Good thing the man was an airhead. Otherwise I wouldn't have gotten out of this hellhole alive. I quickly pushed the door open, not wanting to look back.

What I saw before me almost made me fall down in total shock.

Ryu was nowhere to be seen. So were the people walking around just minutes ago. And so were all the buildings.

All I saw was white and nothingness. The floor was white, the ceiling and the walls were white—heck, I wasn't even sure if there really were walls or ceilings there. Everything stretched out to infinity.

"Shocking, isn't it?'

I swallowed. I recognized that voice. And it's not one that I particularly liked.

"Hey, I'm here to help you, you know."

"Help me? You've never wanted to help me with anything, so why would you do it now?"

Hao Asakura emerged from the opposite side, smiling widely. He looked kinda friendly, and I would've believed that, if he didn't try to kill me seven years ago.

"Aw, come on. I haven't seen you in seven years. A little smile or wave would be very nice."

I glared at him. "What do you want?"

I already have my hands full, I can't afford to have this lunatic barge in, too.

Hao shook his head in mock unhappiness. "Is that any way to talk to someone who's trying to help you?"

"Answer the question. What do you want?"

"I told you already; I want to help you."

"With what?"

Hao laughed. I bit my lip, miffed. He was laughing at me!

"Why you arrogant—!"

"Chill, hotshot. I'm on your side," Hao said, grinning knowingly.

I crossed my arms, still glowering at him. "Explain."

Hao walked closer to me, smirking. "Gladly." He stopped just a few meters away from me and to my surprise, he sighed. I frowned. What a mood shift. What's wrong with him?

"Shocking, isn't it?"

He repeated the same thing he first said. But this time, it didn't sound so cocky. It sounded quite sad, to say the least.

"What is?"

"Don't act dumb, Takeshi. You saw it for yourself. The Black Oni is going to kill my brother and sister-in-law."

"Yoh and Anna?"

"Who else?" Hao sighed again, more deeply this time. "You saw it all. The terrifying Black Oni is going to take his revenge on Anna for letting Yoh kill the Oh-Oni that was once in her body, and on Yoh for complying. And it's all going to happen on Sunday."

So he knew. "I already know about that. Tell me something I don't already know." I paused. "Like how do you add to this equation?"

Hao's smirk returned to his face. "Well, first off, I called you here to help stop that from happening."

I almost doubled back in shock. _Hao?! Seriously?! _"You're the one who sent me here?!"

"Duh, yeah. But of course you'd never have known." He threw me a crooked smile. "Unfortunately, the Black Oni saw you coming and transmitted the message over to Makoto, the cult's leader, and they tried to kill you, to stop you from meddling with their plans."

"I almost died," I said flatly.

"I know, and I'm sorry about that," Hao said. He did look sorry, to be honest. "I tried to intervene, but I wasn't allowed to. I'm still not allowed to interfere. Honestly, I don't understand why. You're just lucky Anna was there to revive you."

"You're the Shaman King," I said bluntly. "Why are you not allowed to interfere? Taking care of wayward spirits is supposed to be your job."

Hao nodded, smirking. "I know that. But this time, I can't."

I fell silent. If the Shaman King himself couldn't take care of this, what chances do I have of doing it myself?

"You're not useless, Takeshi," Hao said, smiling at me. "If you were, then I wouldn't have made the conscious effort to send you here. It costs a lot of mana to do that, and do you think I would've wasted my energy for something that won't help me?"

_Makes sense. _"I wouldn't think so." I paused, thinking. There was still something here that I couldn't understand. "But why me?"

"You have great spiritual power and you're reliable," Hao answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

Great spiritual power?! Was he mad? Sure, I may be reliable, as he said, but spiritual power? And great? None of this is making any sense.

"Are you confused?" Hao asked, amused.

"The hell I am!"

"Did you know that the Black Oni was already defeated once?"

Okaaay…thanks for the trivia, Hao, but how is that going to help me?

"So?" I said, uninterested.

"Did you know that the Black Oni is about as powerful as the Spirit of Fire?"

I rolled my eyes. I heard about this already. "Yeah, and let me guess. It was you who beat him."

"No, it wasn't me," Hao said, smirking. He looked like he wanted to laugh. "It was somebody much more powerful."

"Yoh?"

"Another guess?"

"Anna?"

"Oooh…close. But no."

I threw my arms in the air, frustrated. "Enough! Stop playing games with me!"

"I'm not playing games, Takeshi," Hao said innocently. He looked like he was telling the truth…for once. "This is part of the help I'm giving you."

"I fail to see the significance of a couple of stupid trivia questions."

"Well, you will in a while," Hao said, still grinning knowingly. He paused to think. "Let's see… Did you know that Anna is incredibly adept at catching ghosts and _killing onis_?"

"And she also lived with them," I stated, bored.

"True."

I glared at Hao. "This is getting tiring. I fail to see the point you're trying to prove."

"In a minute, Takeshi, don't get so impatient," Hao said, chuckling. "Hmm… Did you know that, though Anna is adept at killing onis, she can't actually kill the Black Oni?"

"You already told me that." _I'm really starting to lose my temper._

"Do you want to know who single-handedly sent the Black Oni to Hell years ago?"

I sighed, deciding to humor him. "Do I want to know?"

"Oh, trust me. You'd want to know about this one." I looked up. Hao had a curious glint in his eyes. It made me nervous.

"Whatever," I said, shrugging my apprehensions away. "Fire away."

"Once upon a time, two children were born to a shaman father and a human mother," Hao began to narrate. I groaned. What is this; a bedtime story? "The two children were fraternal twins, one male, one female. The shaman father wasn't very powerful and was killed by this horrible Black Oni who came to destroy their family while they were on a picnic in Mt. Osore. At this time, the twins were only a few weeks old but both possessed incredible spiritual and shamanic power. Both had a lot of mana, unlike their father."

He paused to smile before continuing. "In that sudden onslaught, the mother was also murdered by the Black Oni. Since the twins were now virtually unprotected, the Black Oni advanced on them both. The female of the two began to cry. The male of the twins suddenly began to cry as well, and when he did, he released an enormous amount of spiritual energy that opened a chasm between the mortal and spiritual plane. The opening sucked the Black Oni in and locked him up in Hell. Because of the excess energy, another rip was formed. But this time, it wasn't between the spiritual and mortal world. It was a rip between two alternate and parallel realities. The boy was sucked in and was never to be seen or heard from again…until now."

"Until now?" I repeated, still bored.

"Yes," Hao said, smiling broadly. "He came back for some time, but he didn't know who he truly was. His sister didn't know a thing either. The boy left, but years later, he came back again. I told him to come back."

"How interesting," I said ironically.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Hao said, smirking. "Alright—ask me about what happened to the female twin."

"Uh…what happened to the female twin?" _Ugh. This was getting old._

"She was adopted by an Asakura," Hao replied cheerfully. "Everybody thought she was an only child, and the girl thought so herself, too."

I suddenly felt a heavy feeling down my chest. And it wasn't from my gunshot wounds.

"What are you trying to pull?" I said slowly.

"You're starting to get it! Kind of,' Hao said, looking like he was literally about to jump for joy. "Now, ask me—what's the name of the twins?"

"Tell me." Something told me I didn't want to know, but something also told me it was _time _for me to know. I swallowed.

"The girl's name is Anna," Hao answered, smiling. "Anna Kyoyama."

"And the boy?"

"The boy has great spiritual power, he's reliable…"

I held my breath. Did I even want to know about this?

A second later, I realized I had no choice.

"…and his name is Takeshi."

---

You must be all, "HOLY CRAP! TAKESHI AND ANNA ARE SIBLINGS?!"

I know, it's pretty shocking. That's probably the biggest plot twist I was talking about. I totally manipulated Anna's history to make way for this.

And I love family-centric stories. They make me feel nice. Don't you feel the same way?

Moreover, I absolutely loved Hao in this chapter. I love this chapter. xD This is my way of fixing everything, so it'll all work out in the end. Do you like it? Let me know what you think.

Anyhow, I don't think I have to tell you guys to review. I know you've already pressed the review button anyway. I'm sure you've got a lot of stuff to say.

Until then.

**Short Update:**

I dunno if you guys noticed--I kept changing one part of this chapter repeatedly--the one about the Black Oni's revenge plan on Yoh and Anna. Sorry. I just suddenly thought it didn't make any sense, but then, I realized it actually did, so I changed it back. Sorry. I hope it didn't cause confusion on your part.

Also, you must've noticed that I changed the genre to this fic, for the second time. Family/Friendship. I'm sure the "friendship" part makes sense, but the "family" part must've confused you guys at first. But after finishing up with this chapter, maybe you understand now why I put "family" in.


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